A Walk To Remember
by Jitterbelle
Summary: *Completed* This is based on the movie and book! It is the story of how the popular James Potter fell in love with shy quiet Lily Evans, despite the many obstacles they have to face, including the threat of Lord Voldemort hovering over them. It all comes down to who you trust!
1. The Missing Shoebox

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Missing Shoebox:**

A fifteen year old Harry James Potter grumbled and groaned, muttering unpleasant words and profanities under his breath. These words were particularly about his horse-faced Aunt Petunia and his oversized Uncle Vernon. It was a beautiful summer day and instead of joining the Dursleys on their beach day, they had sent him to the stuffy, hot attic to clean it.

"Nothing makes me happy than cleaning up after those buggers," Harry mumbled sarcastically to himself as tossed another box into the middle clearing, wiping beads of sweat that were coming down his forehead at an alarmingly rate. Harry found himself suddenly wishing that he was sweating instead in Professor Snape's suffocating Potions dungeon classroom; at least he had Ron and Hermione there to keep him company. Here, in this attic, he was just suffocating all on his own. In truth, it was rather depressing.

Harry was not sure how long he scrubbed at the muddy, dead bug infested window or how long it took him to clean out and rearrange the many boxes, but he felt it took him longer than necessary. Either way, he found himself taking longer because he had to keep going down to the kitchen for must needed glasses of water.

'If Voldemort doesn't kill me,' Harry thought dryly to himself, 'there's always death by heat exhaustion and dehydration.'

After his fifth trip for water, Harry found himself picking up the oversized Christmas box and carrying it to the other side of the attic. As more sweat dripped from his brow, he used one hand to wipe at it before he fogged his glasses. As a result, the box tumbled out of his hands and knocked down several other boxes he had already neatly stacked.

Harry swore loudly and bent over to pick the boxes up, his temper and temperature both running high. As he stacked them neatly, yet again, he saw a tiny dark red box, about the size of shoebox in the deep corner of the attic, completely covered in dust. If Harry had not looked closely, he would have completely overlooked the tiny red box.

Curiosity taking over his mind and limbs, Harry made his way towards the tiny red box and gingerly picked it up. He looked at it with a raised eyebrow and carried it to the old, moldy, dusty sofa that the Dursleys had stored in the attic many years ago. He sat down and placed the box in his lap, carefully opening the lid. There was a small container of bizarre items within it, but there was a note on top, which looked as though it had been opened, read, and shoved roughly back into the envelope.

Harry did not even bother seeing whom the letter was addressed to; he suspected he already knew. So, he took the letter out of the envelope and immediately recognized the handwriting. The fancy, over exaggerated script belonged to none other than Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; the school in which Harry attended. Anxious, Harry hastily read the letter.

_Dear Mrs. Dursely,_

_Unfortunately, we have never officially met, but I am a close friend of your late sister and her late husband, James. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, the school Lily used to attend when she was young. _

_First I would like to say how extremely sorry I am over the death of your sister. It has been very hard on all of us as your sister was a remarkable young woman who was loved by many. You have all my sympathy. _

_Recently, I believe you found your sister's son, Harry, on your doorstep a few weeks ago? I apologize for the secrecy surrounding that, but as I explained before, it is for Harry's safety. _

_Today I am sending you some of your sister and brother-in-law's most precious belongings. According to their will, they are all to go to Harry on his fifteenth birthday. Many of these objects will help him understand about the horrible and unfortunate circumstances surrounding the death of his parents and why they were taken from us in the first place._

_I am not asking you to explain why or how his parents died; I know that may be too difficult to you. All I ask is that you please give this box to Harry on his fifteenth birthday. I believe that that will be an appropriate time for Harry to discover the past and the truths about his parents and their lives and deaths. _

_I know you and your husband are not very fond of magic or what your nephew is, Petunia, but believe me when I say that, the despite the oddities you feel surround him, you should be very proud of your nephew. He is only an infant and he already has done so many positive things for the wizarding world; he has given us our hope back and I know that he will continue to make us proud in his future endeavors. _

_I wish you a long, happy, healthy, and successful life and I look forward to seeing Harry at Hogwarts in ten years! Thank you!_

_Sincerely yours,  
Albus Dumbledore  
_

"My fifteenth birthday?" Harry whispered to himself harshly. "Are you bloody kidding me? I turned fifteen two weeks ago! Those buggers! It doesn't exactly look like they were going to give this box to me anytime soon! I bet you anything they've forgotten about it…"

Harry continued cursing the Dursleys under his breath as he frowned deeply, running his fingers through his untidy jet-black hair, which stuck up at all angles. He pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, which framed his bright, almond shaped, emerald green eyes. He sighed and shook his head; but he did not know if he shook it out of pity, frustration, anxiety, or disappointment.

Harry quickly shoved the letter back into the envelope and placed it on the sofa beside him. He anxiously rummaged through the items and pulled out a small velvet jewelry box. Harry opened it and inside of it was small diamond ring. He could not help but smiled slightly, knowing that the ring belong to his mother; it must have been her engagement ring. Looking at it with treasured eyes, he gingerly and tenderly placed it beside the envelope on the moth-eaten sofa. After several moments of staring at it with absolute tenderness, Harry returned to the other items waiting in the tiny, red box.

He then took out another small jewelry box with two wedding rings in them and Harry immediately knew that these rings were his parents' wedding rings and placed them beside the velvet box with the engagement ring. After staring at them in wonder, realizing that these items had been things that resided on his parents' fingers; their own flesh and blood. It may have sounded silly or may have not made sense, but it somehow made him feel closer to them.

After observing and treasuring his parents' rings for a few more minutes, Harry returned to the red box and pulled out a small, silver frame. He cautious and curiously picked up the delicate, dainty frame and turned it over. To Harry's surprise the frame did not have a picture in it. Instead it contained some kind of poem on it and he could not help but happily reading it, wondering if it had some kind of significance to his parents.

_**I want to be inside your heaven**_

_**Take me to the place you cry from**_

_**Where the storm blows your way**_

_**I want to be the earth that holds you**_

_**Every bit of air you're breathing in**_

_**A soothing wind**_

_**I want to be inside your heaven.**_

Harry smiled at the poem and looked at the phrase that had been written on the bottom of the page: _By Lily Evans_. Harry beamed proudly at the beautiful poem his mother had written, though he had no idea what it meant or the significance of it. Instead of pondering this any longer, he gently placed the frame beside the rest of the items on the couch. Finally, he picked up a small, crumpled piece of paper from the corner of the box and read it. It said;

**My Bucket List**

_ 1.) Get married in the Church where my parents were married.  
2.) Be in two places at once…without magic  
3.) Get a Muggle tattoo  
4.) Become the first woman Minister of Magic  
5.) Build a Muggle telescope by hand and without magic to see Halley's Comet _

_ 6.) Befriend someone I don't like  
7.) Dance under the stars on the top of the highest Hogwarts tower  
8.) Join the Ministry after graduation  
9.) Join the Muggle Peace Corps  
10.) Become Head Girl_

Harry read the paper over several times and noticed, with pride many of the things on the list were checked off. He absolutely loved that his mother had been such an ambitious and intelligent woman. It made him more proud of his mother, and still, somehow, it made him feel closer to her.

Finally, the last object in the red box was a small, but thick notebook. He took out and blew on it so the dust would fly away and he was free to read the title. But, it was not a published book of any kind. Instead it looked like some kind of diary. Curious, Harry opened the book and on the inside cover it said, _Property of James Reginald Potter_. Delighted to have a detailed account of his father's life, Harry anxiously and excitedly skimmed through it, seeing many writings that he smartly guessed belonged to his father.

Completely forgetting, or maybe just not caring, that he was supposed to be cleaning the Dursleys' attic, Harry turned back to the first page of his father's diary and began to read…

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. I just wanted to give my readers a heads up that there will be significant changes from the movie and Nicholas Sparks' version of the book. That is just to keep it aligned with the original plot by JK Rowling. Thanks for understanding and please enjoy the story and the new revisions! Do not hesitate to review! They are greatly appreciated!


	2. A Prank That Went Too Far

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – A Prank That Went Too Far:**

James Reginald Potter grabbed his broomstick; a Lightning Bolt 1000, and opened the window of the Gryffindor seventh years boy's dormitories. His best friends, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all behind him, following his lead, with their own broomsticks; all of the latest models. The four boys, whom they called themselves the Marauders, hopped on to their broomsticks and flew out of the window and towards the Quidditch Pitch on the other side of the grounds.

In the distance James could see their friends Achelle Marshall and Fiona Tompson already on the Pitch with their own broomsticks, clearly waiting impatiently. The boys lowered their brooms and jumped off in a clear attempt to show off their talent. Sirius jumped off of the broom and walked right over to Fiona and started kissing her passionately and extremely inappropriately. Remus mumbled something about 'getting a room.'

"So, where is this bugger?" James asked impatiently, running his hand through his messy jet-black hair that stuck up at all angles. Sighing, he pushed his square glasses up the bridge of his now sweaty nose, which framed his dancing hazel eyes. Many of the girls at Hogwarts always admired the rugged boy look that James strutted around with.

One of those girls who admired James' look was Achelle. Achelle was a pretty seventh year Gryffindor girl with shoulder length blonde hair, big blue eyes, and way too much make-up. When she tried to seductively walk closer to James, he could not help but roll his eyes at her behavior. To be honest, he thought it was rather pathetic. He and Achelle dated during their sixth year but had broken up over the summer. James found himself constantly wishing she would get it through her thick head that it was over between them.

"Hey Jamie," said Achelle smiling as she swayed her hips in front of James. It did not make an impression on him, but it made Remus look her up and down. James once again rolled his eyes and grinned reluctantly back. "You want to go dancing after we're through with this yutz?"

"You know I don't dance," James hissed, folding his arms across his chest, clearly annoyed. "Besides, even if I did dance, where in the bloody hell would we go dancing, Achelle? The Forbidden Forest? Or maybe the Giant Squid would like a show?" Peter and Remus laughed heartedly and Leanne frowned openly at them before walking away to go stand closer to the kissing Sirius and Fiona.

"She's bloody gorgeous, Prongs," whispered Peter when Achelle was out of earshot. "And she bloody wants you! Why not just go for it?"

"Because it's over between us, Wormtail," snapped James impatiently. Remus laughed and slung a rough arm around James' neck.

"Yeah, Prongs is looking for something _more _than looksin a woman," teased Remus, ruffling his already messy hair. James laughed. "When did you get so deep, Jamesy?"

"Bugger off, Moony," he said with a smile, jokingly pushing his friend away.

Then they heard a sound in the distance. When the six of them all looked up, they were thrilled to see another broom coming towards the Quidditch Pitch. Riding on it was a seventh year Hufflepuff by the name of Amos Diggory. He was a handsome boy and a talented Quidditch player, but he absolutely had no sense of style and had a reputation for being gullible. In short, he was the perfect candidate for the Marauders' latest prank.

"Hey, Diggory!" Sirius shouted as Fiona kissed inappropriately at his neck. "We're down here." Amos saw them and immediately flew down to join them.

"You're late," said Peter stiffly as Amos approached them. "We thought we said to be here at eleven…"

"I'm sorry but I ran into Filch-"

"We didn't ask for your excuses," Fiona said coldly, as came up for some air.

"When we say be here at a certain time," started Peter, "you better damn well be here. It's part of the many rules of being a Marauder. Is that understood?" Amos narrowed his eyes at the group of them for a mere moment, but in the end, he nodded obediently. This caused the six of them to subtly catch each other's eyes and grin.

"Now, Diggory" started Sirius, "if you want to become a Marauder, you're going to have to perform a little…task."

"A task…" repeated Amos; though it was not a question. "What kind of task?"

"You're going to have to dive head first into the Great Lake while your broomstick," said Remus casually with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"That's it?"

"That's it!" said Sirius, grinning. "And then you're one of us. So, are you ready?" Amos nodded hesitantly. "C'mon!" Sirius hopped on to his broomstick, as Fiona got on behind him. Achelle climbed on her own broomstick as James and Remus got on there's. Amos hesitated for a minute, but hovered off the ground watching the others fly away towards the Great Lake. James hung back to see if he was alright.

"Diving headfirst into the Great Lake while on your broom sounds pretty dangerous," said Amos uncertainly. "The four of you…Remus, Peter, Sirius, and you…you all did this…this…task?"

"We all did, Diggory" said James shrugging. "Achelle and Fiona didn't. Then again, they're not Marauders, no matter how much they like to think they are. But, if it'll make you feel better, I'll do the dive with you."

"You will?"

"Yeah, why not?" asked James with a shrug. "I've done it before. It's what friends do, right?"

"I appreciate it…"

"No problem."

When the seven of them finally reached the lake, James dismounted his brook and took off his robes, leaving him in just a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Amos followed his lead and they got back on to their brooms and both flew high into the air above the Great Lake, while the other five watched them closely.

"Are you ready?" asked James, watching Amos closely. Amos took a deep breath, sighed and nodded uncertainly. "On three…One..."

Amos bit his lip and narrowed his eyes.

"Two…"

Amos was now clutching on to the handle of his broom so hard that his knuckles were turning white. James used all of his will power to hold back his laugh.

"Three!"

Both James and Amos dived at top speed, plunging towards the Great Lake. They were almost towards the surface and they could hear Sirius, Remus, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona screaming incoherent words at them.

At the last second, James grinned maliciously and pulled up towards the sky, being a very fast and talented Quidditch player, he could easily perform a Wronski Feint without a problem and he did not touch the cool surface of the black water. Amos on the other hand, was not as talented of a Quidditch player, and plunged right into the depth of the Great Lake. James flew away and hovered above his friends; they were all laughing coldly. They waited a minute for Amos to resurface so that they could taunt him some more, but he never came up. That is, until Fiona saw his lifeless body floating on the surface.

"Sirius! James!" Fiona shouted, pointing towards the body floating on the Great Lake. "He's not moving! I think…Oh Merlin! Is he dead?"

"Bloody hell, what are we going to do?"

James swore loudly and, without thinking, dived into the Great Lake after Amos. The rest of the Marauders, Achelle, and Fiona could hear the footsteps of the staff coming towards the Great Lake and they all panicked.

"We've got to get out of here!" Peter hissed in a panicked voice. Sirius nodded in agreement, and he and Fiona hopped on to his broomstick and flew off, followed closely by Remus, Peter, and Achelle.

James would have fled too but he was too busy pulling Amos out of the chilled water and towards the surface. When he got him on the dirt, James laid him down near the water's edge. Once he made sure Amos was still breathing, which he thankfully was, he grabbed his own broomstick and flew off into the night with the Hogwarts professors on his tail. James rode frantically on his broom to try and avoid the professors and getting into trouble.

After a few minutes of quick and fancy flying, James turned around to see how far off, or behind, the professors were and was not watching where he was flying. As a result and despite his immense talent on a broomstick, James crashed right the Whomping Willow and fell to the ground with a loud and sickening crunch.

When he finally regained his composure, James heard McGonagall's voice mutter "Lumos" and the light reflected directly on his guilty, bruised face.

"Well, good evening Mr. Potter…"

* * *

"James, what are we going to do with you?" Professor Albus Dumbledore asked his Head Boy as he stared out the window in deep contemplation. James just gently patted the cut above his right eye with a wet cloth and shrugged helplessly. What else was he supposed to do really? "You are Head Boy, James. You need to set an example and you're not doing a very upstanding job at that."

"Yes sir," he muttered.

"You understand that this incident cannot go unpunished," explained Dumbledore, finally turning from the window to look at him. James simply nodded as Dumbledore finally took his seat at his desk. "After speaking with Anna I have decided to not take your Head Boy Badge away or your position as Quidditch Captain." James felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"So instead," continued Dumbledore, "you will spend every Saturday morning tutoring the first and second years in Transfiguration since you seem to excel in that subject." James inwardly groaned. "You will serve detention with Mr. Filch every Monday and Wednesday, and you will participate in this year's Spring Play."

"Wait, what? I have to participate in the Spring Play?" asked James incredulously.

"There will be no arguments or negotiations on his, James," said Dumbledore firmly with no usual twinkle in his bright blue eyes. "It's either that or you turn in your Head Boy Badge and your duties as Quidditch Captain immediately. You decide."

James sighed in defeat as he rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. He knew that his mother would be very disappointed if he lost his Head Boy badge; she was absolutely thrilled when she had found out he had been appointed the position. And he definitely did not want to lose his spot on the Quidditch team; James lived for the sport, so he just nodded and agreed to Dumbledore's punishment.

It was at this point that Dumbledore also sighed and rubbed his temples in a tired manner, as though he was frustrated with the student sitting before. And the truth as, he was. Finally, the professor looked at James, clearly disappointed.

"James, you must understand that playing harmless pranks is one thing, but a prank that can endanger someone else's life is not funny. I hope you understand the consequences of the situation," explained Dumbledore in a somber voice. "Thank heavens Mr. Diggory survived and that he and his parents are not pressing any kind of charges. You should be thankful too, because you could have been in a lot of trouble James; a real lot of trouble. I can only hope you will not perform a so-called prank like this again?"

James shook his head.

"Thank you, James," he said. "Your punishments will start next week. You are dismissed."

James walked out of Professor Dumbledore's office muttering unpleasant words and profanities under his breath and frowning deeply.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Here is another revised chapter. I know Sirius, James, and Remus seem like jerks, but after reading _**Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix **_I always imagined them as big jerks who eventually grow up. Either way, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and please don't forget to review! They are greatly appreciated. A big thank you to those who have!


	3. The Spring Play

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Spring Play:**

Over the next week, James received several more punishments for the prank he pulled against Amos Diggory. He got a Howler from his mother and not to mention he also got an hour long lecture from Anna, or Annie as James called her, about being a responsible Head Boy and giving mother more stress than she already had.

Annie was not only the Charms Professor at Hogwarts, but was also actually James's older sister. She was only four years older than James, but received great grades and was truly a remarkable witch, so earned the post when she was only twenty years old. Everyone at the school, even those who did not know them, could tell that they were brother and sister. Anna Potter had long silky jet-black hair, the same pretty hazel eyes as James, and the same thin face as well. But despite their similarity in appearances, she always seemed more like a mother to James than a sister.

James was quite sick of the lectures and punishments. Personally, he felt that having to do that crappy play was punishing enough. He pondered these thoughts as he leaned back in his seat at the Three Broomsticks and looked around sipping his butterbeer. As he drunk, he saw Professor Starkson, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, enter the pub with his niece, Lily Evans. His niece was a small seventh year girl with dark red hair, which was always tied in a ponytail and a pale face. James knew that this girl was Muggle-born and was adopted by Starkson after the girl's parents died, or were rather murdered by Voldemort when she was eleven years old. Starkson was very overprotective of his niece.

Lily was known to be a very shy and quiet and did not have many, or rather, did not have any friends. She mostly kept to herself and she always had her face behind a book. But, the most intriguing thing about her was that she did not seem to care what others thought of her. She often sat alone at the Gryffindor table and was known to spend a lot of time with her uncle. Lily was often found in her uncle's office or in the library even more often than she was in the Gryffindor Tower. She also had a reputation for being extremely intelligent and gifted and this rumor was confirmed when she was appointed Head Girl. James noticed that she seemed to be most interested in Charms and Astronomy because those were the classes she participated most in.

However, despite all of this knowledge James had about her, they were not friends and no one noticed her when she entered the pub with her uncle. Actually no one ever noticed Lily Evans at all, except when they made fun of her when she walked by.

James yawned, stretched and leaned back further back in his seat. He was so happy it was a Hogsmeade weekend; he loved kicking back at the Three Broomsticks with his friends, sipping butterbeer and thinking of new pranks for the week. Though he was happy, James was still rather annoyed as well as sis punishments started the following day and he was not looking forward to them at all.

Achelle and Fiona made noises in their throats that sounded more like a laugh than a cough. They were looking at James's right and he turned to see what they were laughing at. Sirius, Remus, and Peter did the same. The shy, quiet, redheaded Evans girl was walking towards their table, looking to go past them to get one of the much quieter, more isolated booths in the back of the pub.

"Damn that Lily Evans sure has style," Fiona said sarcastically, eyeing the redhead's outfit up and down. James looked over at Achelle and Fiona and then back at Evans to compare the difference between their outfits. Personally, he did not see the big deal. Their outfits were practically the same except Achelle and Fiona's outfits were much tighter and a bit revealing. At least Evans' left a little to the imagination. He turned and looked at Evans again and saw she was wearing the same cream colored sweater that she wore all the time. James wondered if she actually owned another sweater.

"Didn't she wear that sweater back in second year?" Achelle asked coldly and sarcastically. Fiona laughed just as coldly.

"I wonder if that's the only sweater she owns," Peter chimed in. Everyone chuckled under their breath.

"Nice sweater!" Achelle blurted out as Evans walked by, clutching on to her books to her chest as though her life depended on it. She looked at the group for a moment and then gave a weak smile.

"Thank you," she said quietly, sounding almost like a mouse, and walked away. As she walked, the group started laughing insanely under their breath.

"Thank you," Remus squeaked, mimicking Evans. James and the group could only laugh even harder at the shy redheaded girl; a girl whom they knew nothing about.

* * *

James mumbled and groaned as he strutted towards the Great Hall for the first rehearsal for the Spring Play. In all honesty, he absolutely did not want any part of this project. It just was not something he and his friends decided to do and James had a certain reputation that he had to protect. He thought that maybe he could get the rest of the Marauders to play a prank on the Opening Night to make up for his embarrassment.

"Ahhh, Mr. Potter," announced a deep voice from inside the Great Hall as James entered it. He looked up and saw Professor Morandor, the Astronomy professor and Professor Spout, the new, young Herbology professor; they were the directors of the play. "It's so nice of you to join us; better late than never. Please, have a seat."

"Whatever," he muttered as he took the seat nearest to the door. He looked around and saw people sitting together, talking excitedly about the upcoming play and who would be playing what part. To James' immense surprise, in the corner was redheaded Lily Evans. She was sitting all by herself, listening intently.

"Now, Mr. Potter will play the leading male role..."

"WHAT?" James shouted, nearly falling out of his seat. He knew from the rumors that had been traveling that this play was a love story and he did not want to be the male leading role in any kind of sappy, love story. "No…no…I can't…see I didn't…I don't plan on doing any acting-"

"No arguments Potter or we'll go straight to Dumbledore and tell him that you're not cooperating" said Sprout. James growled and leaned back in his seat, muttering unpleasant words under his breath. Dumbledore was making sure that James would suffer for pulling this prank against Diggory. Diggory's parents must have created a terrible fuss over it.

"Lily Evans, who also wrote the music for this production, will be playing the part as the mysterious singer," said Morandor, beaming proudly at the redheaded girl. People turned and just stared at her for a minute before turning back to Morandor and Sprout. "And, Rainie Lesters will be playing-"

At this point James was no longer listening. He was too busy thinking about how he was going to be tormented for being in this bloody stupid play.

The rehearsal went smoothly, except James kept going out of his way to be bad and mess up the lines on purpose. He kept laughing out loud at how pathetic the play was and many of the other students joined in on the bashing. Everyone was particularly laughing at how James kept making faces during the script and at other people trying to rehearse their lines. By the end of the rehearsal, Mordandor and Sprout were both very frustrated with James and were not even sure they wanted him to participate in the Spring Play anymore.

After the rehearsal, James was walking slowly back to the Gryffindor Common Room, thinking of a new prank he could pull on Severus Snape from Slytherin, when he heard a tiny voice from behind.

"Would it kill you to at least try?" the quiet voice asked. James turned around and saw Lily Evans, looking at him with a somber look in her eyes.

"Try what?"

"Would it kill you to at least try to be good in the play?" Lily asked, rubbing her forearm with her free hand.

"Yeah, and I'm too young to die," James said coolly. He turned back around and continued walking towards the Gryffindor Common Room. As he walked, he felt somebody following him, and he looked behind him at the corner of his eye. James saw a glimpse of red and rolled his eyes before turning around to face Lily.

"Are you following me?" James snapped, annoyed. Lily looked at him wide-eyed and quietly shook her head.

"No. There's only one way back to Gryffindor Tower, and this is the way, and I am in Gryffindor…" Lily said, staring at him with an emotionless expression on her face. It was the way she always looked when she walked down the corridors.

"Whatever," muttered James, feeling embarrassed. He turned around, yet again, and continued walking.

"Did you hear about Amos Diggory?" Lily asked after several minutes of uncomfortable silence. James ignored her, though she did not seem to notice or care. "I hear he is still in the hospital wing. Are you going to visit him at all?" James turned around and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I take that as a 'no.'"

"Is this your idea of small talk or something?" James snapped impatiently. Lily stopped talking and just stared. "Because if it is your social skills need some work."

"I was just asking," retorted Lily defensively, but yet very softly. "After all, you and the rest of your friends were the ones who-"

"No one _forced_ him to dive headfirst into a lake!" James snapped again, throwing his hands up in the air in a frustrated manner. "Is it my fault that he's completely gullible?"

"It's called peer pressure," said Lily, still clutching on to her books. "You and your friends are very intimidating people and he gave in…"

"Oh yeah? And how would you know anything about that?" James asked coolly; his voice resembling solid ice. "Read it one of your precious books?"

Lily stared at him wide-eyed for a second, looked down at the books in her arms, and then back up at James with an annoyed look on her face. But, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, as though trying to regain her composure.

"Please," said Lily, patiently, "please don't pretend like you know me."

"But, I do," said James, crossing his arms over his chest. "I do know! We've been in all the same classes and lived in the same tower since first year. Why, you're Lily Evans of Gryffindor. You're Head Girl, you don't have any friends, and you've lived with your uncle since you were eleven. You sit at the rejected side of the Gryffindor table. You own exactly one sweater and you like to look at your feet when you walk. Oh yeah, and on weekends, you like to do Spring Plays and study in the library. How was that? Did that sound pretty accurate to you? It sounded pretty good to me."

"It sounded typical," said Lily, a slight smile on her face. "It also sounded pretty predictable. It's nothing I haven't heard before."

"So what are you trying to say?" asked James, raising an eyebrow. "You don't care what people think about you?" Lily smiled again; it was almost like a smirk.

"No, I don't," she answered honestly before brushing past him and walking towards Gryffindor Tower.

James could do or say nothing but roll his eyes impatiently and follow her.

* * *

"When you..." James paused, trying to remember the line. Sirius was sitting on the sofa, reading the script with James, helping him to memorize his lines. "Oh dammit bugger bloody hell!"

"You can swear all you'd like, Prongs," said Sirius casually as he flipped through the pages of the script. "It doesn't change the fact that this play is a load bull shi-"

"I know, Sirius, I know!" James interrupted, throwing his script angrily across the room. "I didn't write it, okay?"

"True, but you're the one who is going to make a jack ass out of himself in front of the whole school…" said Sirius, in a singsong voice, grinning maliciously. James glared at his friend as he went to go retrieve his script.

"Gee, thanks Padfoot," he said, frowning. "You're a real friend with real words of comfort." Sirius chuckled and stood up and patted James on the back.

"You know," he started, "I'm actually looking forward seeing you in some stage make-up. Now that's going to be a sight to see. Maybe I can get Achelle to take pictures. That way we can all remember, treasure, and laugh about the day that James Potter wore make-up."

"Sirius!" shouted James pleadingly. "Please, I only have three weeks to learn these lines! I need some help!"

"You need more than help, Jimmy, because who are you kidding?" Sirius asked, still grinning. It seemed as though Sirius was always smiling or grinning, no matter what the circumstances. Sometimes it infuriated James to know end; like now. "You couldn't learn this dung if you had three months. No, let me rephrase that. You couldn't learn this crap if you had three years."

"Padfoot, you're not helping," James said, flopping on to the sofa next to Sirius, running a hand through his already messy hair. Sirius chuckled.

"Hey, Prongs, you know I'm only joking with you," said Sirius, still grinning. James grinned too.

"I know," he said.

"Don't worry about it. On Opening Night, I'm going to be there, front row, and you can count on it," said Sirius, shaking James's shoulder roughly, "with tomatos." James laughed heartily.

"Thanks Padfoot."

"No problem, Prongs."

And they did their secret, infamous Marauder handshake.

* * *

That night, after a completely useless rehearsal with Sirius, James needed to clear his mind. And when he needed to clear his mind he always went for a ride on his broomstick late at night. There was something about looking at the stars and the cool night air did something to relax him physically and emotionally.

So, James grabbed his broomstick and opened the window of his dormitory and flew out into the crisp night sky. As he flew above the puffy, blue clouds, he saw a redheaded figure that he recognized as Lily Evans walking across the grounds towards the Quidditch Pitch, carrying a large bag.

"What the hell…?" James asked himself, frowning. Curious, he flew down towards the Pitch and hopped off of his broomstick while it was still a good ten feet from the ground.

"HEY!" James shouted anxiously. Lily quickly turned around, nearly hitting him with the large round tube he had earlier mistaken for a bag. At first she had looked terrified, but when she realized it was only a fellow peer, she just stared at him instead.

When Lily did not say anything to James about his presence, he simply asked: "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question," said Lily.

"You just look like you're up to something. Do you always walk around Quidditch pitches at night?" asked James dryly, as he clutched on to his broomstick. Lily gave a small mischievous grin. James had never seen her smile like and he suddenly felt intrigued.

"Maybe," was all she said, but she still had a mischievous look on her face. And when she turned around and continued walking, James could not help but shout out after her.

"Where're you going?" he asked again. Lily turned around, took out her wand, muttered "_Lumos_," and shoved the light in James's face.

"If you're so interested, then come and see," she said simply and continued walking towards the middle of the Quidditch Pitch. James stood there for a moment, shrugged, and followed her. He had to admit, he was interested in what she was up to. He had never seen this mischievous side of Lily Evans and it rather thrilled him. When he reached the center, he saw Lily bending over, setting up something.

"What is this?" James asked, standing beside the object she was setting up.

"This is my Muggle telescope," explained Lily. "I built it when I was twelve." James raised an impressed eyebrow.

"Go ahead; take a look," Lily suggested, gesturing towards it. James shrugged and looked into the telescope. To his utter amazement, he could see the planet Saturn mixed in with all the other millions and billions of beautiful stars in the deep blue sky.

"Saturn," he stated. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah," said Lily looking at the stars. "I'm hoping to build a bigger one, so I can see Halley's Comet. It only comes around every sixty-five to seventy-five years. It's supposed to be passing Earth this spring. It's number five on my list."

"Number five? List?"

"Yeah, it's a to-do-list I've made, except for my life." Lily explained.

"What, like, get a new personality?" James asked bitterly. Lily ignored him.

"I'd like to be in two places at once without magic…" she said, counting off the items on her lifelong to-do list. "…get a Muggle tattoo….become the first woman Minister of Magic..."

"Ambitious," James said sarcastically. Lily continued to ignore him.

"...dance under the stars on the tallest Hogwarts tower…befriend someone I don't like, though I think I've just accomplished that one." Lily said, looking pointedly at James. James just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Lily smirked and continued looking at the stars through her Muggle telescope. He stared at her for a few moments before turning to look back up at the night sky.

"I get it," said James shortly. Lily pulled her head away from the telescope and stared at him with a raised eyebrow and a confused look on her face.

"Get what?" she asked.

"That you're into all this stuff," said James, gesturing towards her set-up. Lily looked down at the telescope, still looking confused.

"This...stuff?" Lily asked slowly. "I never thought this as simply…'stuff.' I mean, I have my beliefs, my hobbies…but don't you?"

"No," said James simply, "no, there's so much bad shit in this world to be worried about stupid things like that!"

"But, without suffering there would be no compassion," said Lily, looking somber. James gave an angry laugh in his throat.

"Yeah, well, tell that to those who've suffered," he growled. Lily stared.

"You don't know what it's like to suffer," she whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said and continued looking through her telescope.

* * *

James came back late from the Quidditch Pitch and flew directly into the Common Room. This startled most first years, but for the rest of the Gryffindors, this was a normal occurrence; James loved flying directly into the Common Room late at night. It was one of his many ways of showing off. When he dismounted from his broom and looked around, he saw Sirius, Remus, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona all sitting there looking worried.

"James!" Remus called out when he saw his friend, motioning for him to join the rest of the group.

"Where were you?" asked Sirius curiously. He was not grinning.

"We were worried," Peter squeaked up.

"Nowhere," said James shrugging. At that moment, Lily Evans came in through the Portrait Hole, holding the giant tube that contained her Muggle telesope. She caught James's eye and shot him a brief smile before walking up the stairs towards her dormitory. James just stared at her for a moment before returning his attention to his friends. "I was just out for a ride." Sirius, however, did not fail to notice the brief and barely noticeable exchange between his best friend and Lily Evans.

"James," said Sirius, pulling his best friend aside so that he was out of earshot of everyone else. "Are you okay? I mean, are we still cool and everything?"

"Yeah," said James, "yeah, everything's fine."

* * *

The next day, James was sitting in the Common Room desperately trying to memorize his lines, but like Annie commented, he was a hopeless case, or in this case, a hopeless actor. Just when he was about to throw the script across the room and march straight to Dumbledore's office so that he could turn in his Head Boy and Quidditch Captain badges, he heard the Portrait Hole open and close, and he turned to see who had entered.

In walked Lily Evans, who had somehow achieved the great task of reading a book while walking up to the girl's dormitories. James immediately jumped out of his seat and walked straight up to her.

"Evans?" he called out. Lily whipped around and looked at him. She gave a weak laugh and continued reading.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily asked, still chuckling to herself. "I've known you for seven years and you've never been the first one to jump up and say 'hello' to me."

"Evans, I need help with my lines," said James, feeling embarrassed. But what other choice did he have? Lily looked up from her book, grinning.

"Is James Potter is asking me for help?" Lily asked, still grinning.

"Yeah..."

"That's a classic," she said, half laughing, walking back out through the Portrait Hole. James let out a quiet frustrated groan and followed her. He ran to catch up with her until he was walking beside her.

"Listen, Lily, I really need he-"

"You've obviously never asked anyone for help before have you?" Lily asked, not looking at him. She still seemed to be engrossed in her book. He did not need to answer for Lily already knew it. Plus, his silence answered her rhetorical question. "I thought so. Why should I help you, Potter? All you've ever done is make fun of me."

"Listen, I just want the play to be good, okay?" James snapped at her. 'Or maybe just don't want to make a fool out of myself,' James thought. But, that was a secret that was going to stay between him. Lily finally looked up from her book and stared at him for a minute, as though she was having an internal struggle with herself.

"Okay, I'll help" said Lily, "but, under one condition, Potter."

"Okay..."

"You have to promise you won't fall in love with me," said Lily.

James wanted to burst out laughing. Him? Love her? Not in this millennium. He could never fall in love with someone, or something, like Lily Evans. James held back his laugh when he saw the serious look on her face. If he wanted her to help, openly laughing in her face was probably not the best idea.

"Don't you worry your little red head, Evans, because that's not going to be a problem," he said, still holding back his laugh. Lily smiled brightly.

"Okay, I'll meet you in the library after dinner," she said simply and walked away. James rolled his eyes and went to find Sirius. The two of them were planning to put a spell on the Portrait of the Fat Lady by making her hair turn blue.

* * *

Parker Starkson entered the library to see his niece sitting in at a corner table reading another book. She had always loved to read, even before she came to Hogwarts. Ever since she was five you could always find her nose buried behind a book.

Parker smiled at her from a distance. She looked so much like her mother, his sister, Marigold, except her mother had had blonde hair. Lily had inherited her father's red hair, which went fantastic with her mother's bright, sterling green eyes. He was so proud of Lily. She was so pure; so full of goodness and love. It was a shame how this had to come about her.

When Robert and Marigold Evans were murdered, Parker could not even look at Lily. As though it was her fault that they were dead and unable to raise their own children. But, in the end, he had grown to love Lily more than anything else in the world; more like his own daughter than a niece. He was just as overprotective and loving as any father. Shaking out of his thoughts, Parker smiled and walked over to his niece.

"Hello, Flower," he said smiling. Lily looked up and beamed at her uncle. She loved her uncle just as much as he loved her.

"Hello Uncle Parks," she said smiling. She had been calling her uncle 'Uncle Parks' since she was a baby. She just could not manage to say 'Parker' and the nickname just stuck.

"Are you rehearsing for the play?" Parker asked. Lily nodded.

"Yes. Actually, I'm helping James memorize his lines. He should be here any minute." Parker suddenly frowned.

"James? As in James Potter?" he asked, looking angry and uncomfortable.

"Yes," said Lily. "Why?"

"Why? That boy is careless, he's dangerous; he's the worse kind of boy!" Parker nearly shouted at his niece. Lily looked at him thoughtfully.

"Parks, you need to give him a chance," she said, patting his hand gently. At the precise moment, James entered the library and walked over to the table where Lily and Parker were having their conversation.

"Hey Lily, Professor," said James, nodding his head towards them. Parker gave James a glare, which James cowered under and Lily smiled slightly to try and reassure both of them.

"Erm…Lily…?" James asked after several moments of uncomfortable silence. "Are we going to rehearse?"

"Sure! Just let me put my library books away and we'll get started," she said as she got up and dashed towards the stacks with a armful of thick, leather-bound books. Feeling immense tension, James turned back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Errm…thanks for letting me run lines with Lily," said James, not knowing what else to say. Parker just stared at him.

"I didn't let you," he said coldly.

"Oh!"

"Let's get one thing straight, Mr. Potter," he said walking slowly towards James, who was still cowering at the look his professor was giving him. "You may think that the world bows at your feet and that I don't see you and your friends from where I stand in front of the classroom. But, I see you."

James just nodded and to his immense relief, Lily came running back with empty arms and a pleasant smile on her face. She sat down as Parker slowly smiled at his niece, and then walked away and out of the library.

"Ready?" Lily asked cheerfully. James nodded and sat down, opening his script. Thank Merlin that no one was in the library so they could see him talking to the most weirdest girl in all of Hogwarts. His reputation would go down the drain.

* * *

James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona were all sitting in the Great Hall eating their breakfast. Well, actually, Fiona was on Sirius's lap, kissing him rather passionately and inappropriately. Achelle was eyeing up James, obviously wanting the same attention that Sirius was giving to Fiona, but James was so fed up with her pathetic behavior that he decided to just ignore her hints and advances. Remus and Peter were discussing Quidditch.

James grinned as Peter knocked over a glass of orange juice, spilling it all over Fiona and Sirius, who were so wrapped in themselves that they did not seem to notice.

"Hey Potter," came a sweet quiet voice from the opposite side of the table. James looked up and saw Lily standing in front of the whole group, a small smile on her face. "Are we still meeting you in the library after dinner?"

Sirius, Remus, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona all glanced at James, looking suspicious, astonished, or just looking at Lily like she was crazy. Suddenly, James felt sick. How could she do this to him? He had really improved with acting abilities and memorizing his lines with Lily's help and he had come to really enjoy spending time with her but had a reputation to protect. His friends would never accept someone as ridiculous as Lily Evans. Someone like Lily would just flush everything he had worked for at Hogwarts right down the toilet.

"In your dreams…" said James half laughing at her and half looking at her like she was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Sirius started chuckling with Fiona. Orange juice came squirting out of Remus's nose and Peter was sniggering under his breath as Achelle gave Lily a smug, satisfied grin.

Lily's smile immediately transformed into a frown. She stared at James blankly for a moment, her eyes blinking repeatedly. James just stared back at her with his arms folded across his chest, and an eyebrow raised coolly. But, she did not say anything. Instead, Lily nodded slowly and walked away, looking at her feet.

"Where's your sweater?" Sirius called out to her in mock concern, making the group laugh heartily at her; except for James. James could barely give a fake, weak chuckle. Normally, he would have laughed at Lily, but at the moment, he felt so guilty. Why? He had dumped girls like that before. So, why was he feeling guilty now?

Instead of pondering them any longer, James ignored his thoughts and followed his friends to class.

* * *

Lily was not in the Common Room, the seventh year girls' dormitory, the library, or the Great Hall. That meant that there was only one other place she could be: her uncle's office.

James did not want to confront Lily in front of Professor Starkson but what other choice did he have? He needed to apologize to her so that she could forgive him and they could continue running lines together. He just had to make sure that she knew that this was a secret.

Hesitantly, James dashed to the office and knocked on the door. To his immense surprise, Starkson did not answer the door; Lily did. When she answered, she originally had a small, sweet, and pleasant smile on her face, but when she saw who knocked, her smile instantly turned into a dangerous frown. She glared at him for a minute before automatically shutting the door in James's face.

James ran a frustrated hand through his untidy jet-black hair and let out a small groan. He knocked on the door again.

"Lily! Lily c'mon…please open the door!" James shouted through the door. Suddenly, the door opened and James immediately backed away, because Lily came storming out like a bat out of hell, glaring at him.

"What do you want?" she asked, not angrily, but almost sweetly, but James could still hear the venom in her voice.

"Listen, Lily, I was hoping maybe we could still run lines together," said James, looking at her square in the eye. Lily looked at him for a minute and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, but not just so anybody can see, right?" she asked coolly. James did not want to tell her he could not spend time with her because she was not someone his friends would approve of her; even there was no reason why they should not approve. She just was not the type of person they liked spending time with; she was the kind of person they liked playing pranks on. That thought did not make sense to James. Why would they not like Lily? He was definitely starting to enjoy spending time with her.

"Well..." he said slowly, trying to quickly to come up with some kind of excuse. "I just thought it would be more fun...by…_surprising_ everyone with how good I get; how much I improve." Even the words, as he said them, sounded ridiculous to James and he knew that Lily was no fool. She would know why he was making lies up like this.

"Like…we could be secret friends?" Lily suggested, smiling sweetly. James's eyes widened in relief and he suddenly felt so much better.

"_Exactly_!" James said in relief. "Exactly! It was like you were reading my mind!" Lily was still smiling sweetly and nodding.

"Great," she said, "maybe you can read mine." Suddenly, her sweet smile turned into a nasty glare. James immediately got the hint and all the relief he had previously felt came seeping out of his body; like a bucket being drained. He took a deep breath and looked down at his shoes in shame and guilt. Lily narrowed her eyes at him and turned her back on him to go back into the office.

"Lily," he said regrettably; and it sounded sincere. "Lily I can't just be your friend. That's not how it works. You have to understand that. I _want _to be friends with you but I just…can't."

"Look, James, I just thought I saw something in you," said Lily, looking at James through the crack of the open office door, "something good. But, I was very wrong; very wrong."

With that, Lily sighed sadly and closed the door. James watched as the door closed and threw his hands up in frustration and swore loudly. When he swore, Professor Starkson came storming out, his eyes flaming angrily at James. James immediately backed off, muttered a weak apology, and ran off down the corridor, leaving a very angry Professor Starkson behind. The professor was not angry because James had sworn; he was angry because that boy hurt his niece, and he had not even realized it.

But selfishly, James was not worried about Lily Evans at the moment. Sure, she was not some airhead and you could talk to her easily, and she was pretty in her own way, and she was sweet and nice, and everything. That could not be why James was so frustrated over losing her as a secret friends. It was because without her help, he was going to mess up horribly during the Spring Play. He was going to humiliate himself in front of everyone. That had to be why he was so angry towards this situation with Lily. What other reason could there be?

James stormed to the boy's dormitories and flopped on to his bed with his face in his pillow. He let out a very frustrated yell and took his face out of his pillow and looked out of the window. He could not remember the last times he felt so annoyed and restless; like he had no control over the events that were going on around him.

Sighing, James jumped off his bed and went rummaging through his trunk. He came across the Marauder's Map, his Invisibility Cloak, some books, some merchandise from Zonko's, a bunch of Dungbombs, and his old yearbooks. James took out this year's yearbook and started skimming through it. James finally came across Lily Evans's picture. She had the same small smile on her face, and he realized that she never really wore a big smile, at least no one ever seen her wearing a big smile. James looked down at her ambition for life, listed under her picture and it said 'To Witness a Miracle.'

James took a deep breath. Well, he would damn well give her a miracle.

* * *

James practiced day and night for the Spring Play. He improved on everything; his hand motions, the way he stood, but most importantly, he memorized his lines and found creative and fun ways to deliver them without being disrespectful towards the material. During rehearsal, however, he would slip into a daze and ignore what the Professor Sprout and Professor Morander were saying to everyone, except when they were talking to him, of course.

But, the two professors were mostly talking to Lily about her horrible posture. Like James had accurately pointed out earlier, she liked to look at her feet when she walked and her shoulders were always hunched. Professor Sprout was spending a lot of time showing Lily how to throw her shoulders back and walk like she was some kind of princess. James would glance over and notice that Lily looked slightly more attractive when she walked like that.

It was the day before opening night and James took a deep breath. He felt he was ready and he was going to give the best performance he could make it; even if everyone else thought it was horrible. James knew he was going to give it his all.

Quite frankly, it was really a miracle that he had pulled all that off what had in just a few weeks. The Marauders were certainly impressed, but Sirius insisted that he still bring tomatoes anyway; just in case.

* * *

James had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it. He just found himself walking towards the hospital wing, not knowing what in the world he was going to say. He entered the hospital wing, biting his lip and wanting to run away.

"Potter?" asked Madame Lustin from her office when she saw him enter. She was a plump and kind woman who was known for not being very that strict when it came to visiting hours. She personally believed family and friends were the best kinds of medicine. "I wasn't expecting to see you here with the Spring Play tonight and everything. What can I do for you? Are you ill?"

"I came here to see Amos," said James, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"Amos Diggory?"

"Yes…Diggory…"

"He's just over there," said Madame Lustin, pointing to a curtain in the corner of the room that had been drawn for Amos's privacy. James nodded to show his thanks and slowly walked over to the curtain and walked behind it. Amos was lying in bed reading a book on Quidditch. He looked up and saw James and he rolled his eyes and continued reading, ignoring him.

"I know you don't want to see me. But, I came here to say I'm sorry," said James. Amos made a noise in his throat that sounded a bit sarcastic.

"Well, you did," Amos said coldly. "Do you feel any better?"

"No, I feel like shit."

"You know, I thought I actually wanted to be your friend," started Amos, but he paused and looked at directly at James, as though he were scum of the earth, "but now I have _no_ idea why. _No_ idea."

James sighed and looked at the ground. He looked at his feet for a minute but then gave a weak chuckle. Somehow, this intrigued Amos and he looked at the Marauder at the corner of his eye.

"You know the first time I made that dive," he told Amos, as though he were telling a friend an old story. "I thought I was such a bad arse. I...I remember telling the rest of the Marauders that I...that I meant to fall off and belly-flop." James gave another weak chuckle. For the first time in a few minutes, Amos turned to look at James fully.

"Did it hurt?"

"Like hell."

"Good!" said Amos honestly, a suuden grin appearing. He and James looked at each other and chuckled.

"I guess I'll see you around in class then?" asked James, grinning sheepishly. Amos nodded.

James turned to leave the hospital wing and when he walked through the door, he felt a lot more relieved, a lot better. He felt like a heavy burden had been taken off his chest and shoulders and he was free to run.

* * *

It was the night of the Spring Play.

Surprisingly, James's performance was not all that bad. But, the final scene was coming up soon and he was getting extremely nervous. That was the scene James always had a major problem with. Professor Sprout said something about being able to 'feel the emotion' and he just was not feeling anything in that final scene.

James looked out into the audience and saw Sirius and Fiona; Fiona practically in Sirius's lap in the second row; right behind Remus and Peter. You could tell Remus was trying very hard not to fall asleep and Peter was openly snoring away. James gave an inward laugh at the look at his friends.

Achelle was with the rest of the students who worked with the school newspaper; interning for the Daily Prophect. She was the photographer and had to take live action pictures from the play.

Annie was sitting in the front row with the other professors, smiling proudly at the fine performance her brother was giving; the performance that he worked so hard to give and no one really knew that but her.

But what almost infuriated James and almost made him leap off the stage was the man sitting next Annie. He was a tall, skinny man with messy brown haired and handsome face. It took all of James's inner strength and willpower to ignore him. Professor Starkson was also sitting with the other professors, at the far end and much to James's discomfort; he was watching him very intently.

Finally, Rainie, the leading lady, said her final words as Lily walked on the stage. She was completely covered in a hooded cloak, which completely covered her and her face. It startled James at first because she looked like some kind of Death Eater. Rainie said some more words to Lily and stormed off the stage. James took a deep breath.

It was the final scene.

James said some of his lines as Lily lowered her hood and took off the cloak. James turned to look at her and his voice got caught in is throat and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Lily looked nothing short of beautiful. In fact, James had never seen anything as nearly as gorgeous as how she looked right there.

Lily's dark red hair, which was always tied back in a ponytail, was flowing down her back in beautiful, elegant dark red curls. James was amazed at how long her hair was, it was almost to her waist. She was wearing make-up that brought out her features beautifully.

Lily was also wearing an emerald green dress made of pure silk that reached the floor and flowed behind her when she walked and it was crisscrossed in the back. The dress brought out her eyes beautifully. James was surprised to see that they were also emerald green, sparkling magically. The dress hugged every curve that Lily had, which no one knew she had since she always wore baggy dresses and robes. She just looked nothing short of amazing. James could not take his eyes off her as he said his lines to her; he was surprised he was even able to remember his lines at that point.

James did an amazing job of covering up his obvious astonishment and adoration for Lily while on the stage but two people did happen to notice it; the two people who were watching James the closest. Parker Starkson shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Lily did indeed look beautiful and he did not like the looks that the boys were giving her, especially the one on the stage. Achelle had completely stopped breathing altogether.

"You look so familiar," said James, as he performed. "Like a girl I knew once, only she was a dream."

"Tell me about this dream girl," said Lily, looking at James square in the eye. He just melted in a forest of green depths.

"I don't remember her. All I know is..." James paused. The line was supposed to be 'All I know is that she could sing beautifully,' but that line was not good enough, especially not good enough for Lily Evans

"All I know is..." James repeated, "…is that you're beautiful..."

Lily stared at him, eyes almost widening, but she prevented them because they were currently in front of the entire school. James felt he could just stare at that beautiful face and those green depths for an eternity. But, his spell was broken because he could hear Sprout whispering, "The song, James, the song!" James reluctantly tore his eyes away from Lily's.

"The dream girl!" James said, covering up for when he messed up the previous line. "I don't remember her, but I do remember that she could sing beautifully. Please, help me to remember her. Will you sing for me?"

With that, Lily nodded and a light music came on in the background.

"_I've been down, now I'm blessed  
__I felt a revelation coming around"  
_

James's eyes would not come off of Lily. She was just so pretty, no not pretty, beautiful and her voice sounded like that of an angel.

Lily stood up and walked across the stage and looked towards the audience, James watching her every move.

"_I guess it's right, it's so amazing  
__Every time I see you I'm alive  
__You're all I've got  
__You lift me up  
__The sun and the moonlight"  
_

Parker smiled as he heard Lily's voice. It sounded so much like her mother's. But, he could not stop looking at James because he was openly staring at Lily. What intrigued him the most was that he was not staring at her in a rude manner, like most boys in the audience were, such as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. But, he was staring at her lovingly. His eyes looked so innocent and scared, like a young child, filled with adoration and joy. James Potter was looking at Lily like he adored her, like he...loved her.

'No,' thought Parker, 'James Potter will not fall in love with my niece. I won't allow it.'

"_All my dreams are in your eyes  
__I wanna be inside your heaven  
__Take me to the place you cry from  
__Where the storm blows your way  
__I wanna be the earth that holds you  
__Every bit of air you're breathing in  
__A soothin' wind  
__I wanna be inside your heaven"  
_

Lily turned back to look at James with a strange smile on her face. James's heart fluttered at her smile, but then he saw it was not a true, genuine smile because she was only acting. The truth was, she was still angry with him for blowing her off the way he did. James could not believe he did that. He was such a fool. He knew that she was beautiful on the inside, which was why he had come to enjoy spending time with her. James had no idea that she was just an all-around beautiful person.

Breaking James out of his thoughts, Lily turned and walked up and down the stage as she continued singing with that angelic voice of hers. Little did she know that James was still watching her every move with his eyes filled with adoration for her.

"_When we touch  
__When we love  
__The stars light up  
__The wrong becomes undone  
__Naturally my soul surrenders  
__The sun and the moonlight  
__All my dreams are in your eyes"  
_

Lily than stopped walking up and down the stage and turned to James and sat down at the table across from him, singing sweetly.

"_And I wanna be inside your heaven  
__Take me to the place you cry from  
__Where the storm blows your way  
__And I wanna be the earth that holds you  
__Every bit of air you're breathing in  
__A soothin' wind  
__I wanna be inside your heaven"  
_

Lily, once again, turned away from James, much to his dismay while still sitting down, now singing to the audience, smiling sweetly in her divine voice.

"_When minutes turn to days and years  
__When mountains fall  
__I'll still be here  
__Holding you until the day I die"  
_

Lily stood up again and walked towards center stage, standing at the edge of the stage, singing more loudly and stronger than she was before. James still did not take his eyes off of her. As she sang, she was giving him butterflies in his stomach. Why was he feeling his way towards Lily Evans, out of all people? Why had he worked so hard to be so good in the play to impress her? The thought was crazy, absolutely crazy, but he could not deny it any longer.

James Potter was falling for Lily Evans.

"_I wanna be inside your heaven  
__Take me to the place you cry from  
__Where the storm blows your way  
__And I wanna be inside in your heaven  
__I wanna be inside  
__Where the storm blows your way  
__And I wanna be inside your heaven  
__Take me to the place you cry from  
__Where the storm blows your way  
__And I wanna be the earth that holds you  
__Every bit of air you're breathing in  
__A soothing wind  
I wanna be inside your heaven_"

Lily turned from the audience and walked slowly back to the table and sat across from James, who was still looking at her with joy and idolatry. He could not take it any longer. Just as the music died down he leaned across the table and towards Lily's face. He closed his eyes and felt his lips brush against hers.

As he gave her that small kiss, the music stopped completely. The audience applauded as James pulled away, looking into Lily's eyes, the color of a green forest. Lily was stunned and stared at James wide eyed, speechless and immobile. James just bit his lip, not pulling his eyes away from Lily's eyes, wondering if he had made a mistake and scared Lily completely away.

The curtain closed, leaving Lily to sit there completely astonished and James a nervous wreck.

Parker shifted very uncomfortably in his chair. He knew that kiss was not supposed to happen in the play. Lily would have told him about a kissing scene. Did James Potter really have feelings for Lily? Or, was he just playing with her like he did all the other girls he dated?

Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Fiona thought nothing of the kiss, thinking it was just part of the play, applauded loudly for their friend. Remus was clapping and whistling loudly as Sirius did catcalls.

Achelle's breath, which she had been holding throughout the entire scene, was sucked into her throat. She knew that that kiss was not part of the play. Lily Evans's face was way to shocked at James's action. If it had been a part of the play, Lily would have seen it coming and would be smiling at the audience instead of looking at James like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears.

Why did James kiss her? Did he like her? If he did, Achelle knew she would stop at nothing to make sure Lily Evans did not get him. James belonged with her and no one else. She would make sure of that.

* * *

After the play, Annie came running up to her brother and hugged him tightly.

"Jimmy, I couldn't believe it! What a transformation! You went from horrible to fantastic!" Annie said brightly, hugging her brother tightly. James laughed nervously.

"Thanks, Annie, but please stop!" James said, grinning embarrassedly. "And, don't call me Jimmy, at least not in front of the guys. They'd never let me hear the end of it." Annie laughed and smiled at James, ruffling his hair.

"Don't go wandering around late," she warned, smiled and walked off. James smiled back and immediately looked around for Lily. He saw her leaving with her uncle, who was staring furiously at James, and Pofessor Sprout, no doubt talking about the performance or the play itself. Lily's pretty curly red hair was once again pulled into a loose ponytail.

James was about to go after her when a hand on his shoulder held him back. Swearing to himself, he turned around. And whom he saw was the last person he wanted to see, they very last. It was the same person who had made him want to jump off the stage.

"Fine performance, son," said Reginald Potter.

It was James's father.

James narrowed his eyes at him and pulled his arm away.

"What are you doing here?" James snarled, giving his father a deathly glare.

"Anna told me about it," said Edward, trying to pretend that he did not recognize his son's obvious dislike for him. "I thought maybe we'd go to Hogsmeade and get a bite after the show."

"I'm not hungy," James said coldly and he brushed past his father.

"James, don't walk away!"

"You taught me how!" James shouted angrily, never turning back to look at his father.

Reginald Potter sighed and looked at the ceiling in frustration. He did not know or understand why he kept trying to reach out to James because he knew that James would never forgive him for abandoning him, Anna, and their mother.

* * *

Disclaimed of the Song – The song that was used in this chapter and the poem in the first chapter is "Inside Your Heaven" performed by Carrie Underwood.

A note from the Jitterbelle. I hope you're enjoying the story and revisions for far. Please enjoy and don't forget to review as they are greatly appreciated!


	4. Lily and James

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Lily and James:**

The next day in school, James desperately looked around for Lily. But he could not seem to find her anywhere. He did see her in classes and at mealtimes, but it seemed that James could not manage to get a seat anywhere near her or a moment to talk to her. In the end, James figured he would have to talk to her during lunch time. But, even during that time she was nowhere to be seen. James became beyond frustrated at this point. A girl had never been so difficult for him to chase down and talk to.

By the middle of lunch, James was sick of this game of this game of Hide-N-Seek. He left lunch early and went straight to the library. He knew, without a doubt that, Lily was sure to be there. Thankfully, to James's relief, when he got there, he saw a group of sixth years working on a Potions Essay and there was Lily sitting at a table in a corner reading a book. Without hesitation, James walked right over to her table and sat down next to her.

"You're sitting next to me and people can see," she said simply, not taking her eyes off of the book.

"And that would ruin your reputation, how?" retorted James respectfully as he stared at her. Her long, beautiful red hair was tied up in a ponytail again and her Hogwarts uniform was on, no make-up, though her green eyes still somehow sparkled. Even in her uniform she looked beautiful. Why had he never noticed it before?

"What are you reading?" James asked, genuinely curious. Lily lifted the book so she could see, not taking her eyes off the page and still not looking at him.

"I'm reading all the books that Madame Pince has on her list written by famous British authors," Lily explained casually. James raised an eyebrow.

"And how many books are there?"

"One hundred," said Lily, "but then there is American list and her European list."

"And, is this all on your life to-do list; to read all these books?" James asked curiously. Lily continued reading, ignoring him completely. James looked at the table and ran his fingers through his already unruly jet-black hair.

"Look, Lily, I'm trying here," said James. This comment got no reaction out of Lily as she continued to pretend he was not there. So, James knew he would have to play hardball; he would have to be honest with her. "Lily, I really miss spending time with you. You…you inspire me. You're the one who inspired me to work hard and be better in the play…" Lily shook her head and chuckled.

"Sounds like bullocks," she said snapping her book shut.

"Which part?" James asked impatiently.

"All of it!"

"Well, it's not!"

"Prove it," hissed Lily as she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the library. James rolled his eyes, let out a loud groan, and immediately ran after her. When he caught up with her she was already nearing her uncle's office.

"Lily!" James called out. "Lily, wait up!"

"Don't bother trying, Potter. You don't know the first thing about being someone's friend," Lily said coldly.

"I don't want to just be your friend," said James as he caught up with her, following her.

"You don't know what you want!"

"Neither do you!" James snapped angrily. "Maybe you're too scared to see that someone might actually want to be with you." Lily finally turned around angrily to face James with her bright green eyes flashing dangerously.

"And why would that scare me?" she asked coolly, looking him square in the eye.

"Because than you wouldn't be able to hide behind your books, your Muggle telescope or your music, or anything!" James said looking somber. Lily narrowed her eyes at him and started to walk away but he was not letting her get away that easy. James caught up with her and grabbed her by the forearm. "You know the real reason why you're scared? It's because you want to be with me too!"

Lily's bright green eyes widened for a minute, but then narrowed. She gave James a deathly glare and then stormed off into her uncle's office, knowing James would not follow her there.

James let out a frustrated groan and headed back to the Gryffindor Tower to get started on his Transfiguration essay.

That was enough for now.

* * *

James was in the Gryffindor Common Room, trying frantically to get his Transfiguration essay done or McGonagall would transfigure him permanently into some kind of rodent. Since he had put so much focus on the Spring Play, his grades had slipped severely. Suddenly, out of the nowhere, Remus started causing frantic by putting on his wireless wizard radio with some music.

"Could you keep it down, Moony?" James asked, trying to sound annoyed, though he was grinning. "Some of us are actually trying to _work_."

"Wait, is James Potter actually working?" Remus asked in an overdramatic tone, putting his hand on his chest. "Oh my, what is this world coming to?"

"Oh, shut-up!"

"Let's try this!" Remus said picking up a small wizard disk and putting it in the radio. The music was not hip and bouncy, but calm and soothing. Remus was stunned.

"Whoa Prongs, you're not feeling my beat here," said Remus, staring blankly at the radio. "What is this crap?"

"Lily lent it to me," said James simply. Remus shook his head.

"Ha, now's she got you listening to_ her_ people music."

"_Her_ people?" asked James, raising an eyebrow. He could not explain it, but somehow he felt his temper and anger rising.

"Yea, her bookworm, no social skills, shout if you love to study people," said Remus chuckling at his own joke. James did not find it funny.

"She's not like that," he snarled, scribbling some words down on his parchment. His quill was now rubbing much harder against the parchment than it had before.

"Well, she must be like something because you've got Achelle thinking that that little lip-lock between you and Lily at the play was kind of real," suggested Remus casually. James stopped writing for second, took a deep breath, than continued writing as though he had not heard what his friend had said.

Remus stared at him for a moment and studied him. Something was off; James was actually working hard on an essay and he had not pulled a prank since the Spring Play, which was last weekend. He did not understand what was going on with him.

"What's with been going on with you, Prongs?" asked Remus, suddenly sounding serious. "It's like you haven't been around lately; like you don't have time for your real friends anymore."

"I don't know, Moony," said James looking up from his parchment, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm just over it. I'm so sick and tired of doing the same old shit all of the time." James threw his quill down in frustration and sighing. Remus studied him for another moment before shaking his head knowingly.

"This girl's changed you and you don't even know it."

"Oh yeah? What, did Achelle say that too?" James asked bitterly as he picked up his quill again and jammed it furiously into the ink. Remus shook his head.

"No." There was a pause. James looked at his friend. "But, I did."

James sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to Hogsmeade for a little while," he said as he summoned his Invisibility Cloak and slipped it on. When he disappeared from Remus's sight, he headed for the secret passage to Honeydukes that he and Sirius had found in their second year.

While in Hogsmeade, James went to Honeydukes and bought some sweets and walked around aimlessly thinking about Lily and how fast he had fallen for her and what he could do to win her over. He kept thinking about the way she sang and how she looked during the Spring Play. And it was not just about her looks; it was her whole demeanor. Lily was very and innocent, calm and reserved, polite and pretty, and nice. Yet, at the same time, she spoke her mind and had a fiery temper. After all, what else did you expect from a redhead? Lily was, in a simple word, perfectly; simply perfect for James.

As James popped a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth, he passed a branch from Madame Malkin's chain of clothing stores. He decided to go in for the hell of it and looked around randomly.

That's when he saw it. He had no idea what that item was doing in a wizarding clothing shop, but he did not care. It was perfect. He immediately grabbed it off the rack and paid for it before running straight back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Instead of searching all over the castle for Lily, James instead took the Marauder's Map out of Sirius's trunk. He saw her dot in the library and immediately walked to it, knowing she would be there for a while either studying or reading.

When he entered the library, he found her instantly. Lily was sitting at the library table in the back corner reading the same book she had been reading before, except now she was almost towards the end of the book.

James slowly and shyly approached her, carrying a large bag. Lily heard him come towards and she slowly looked up.

"You," she said blankly, her face completely void of emotion.

"It's me," said James, grinning slightly. He handed her the bag.

"What is that?"

"I got you something," said James, he motioned for her to take the bag. Lily took it and gave a very weak smile.

"Thank you."

"So, I guess I'll see you around," asked James hopefully. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his robes and did not take his eyes off of her pretty and expressionless face.

"Okay," she said simply, staring back at him. At that moment, Parker Starkson entered the library and saw James Potter talking to his Lily. He walked towards them as James turned around to leave.

"Mr. Potter…" he said with a hint of warning and suspicion in the voice.

"Good night Professor," James said simply and left the library. Lily, biting her lip and looking curious, opened the bag and pulled out her gift. She could not help but smiled. It was an emerald green sweater, much like the cream sweater she wore all the time except it matched her eyes perfectly. She smiled brightly and fingered at the sweater with a big, bright smile on her face.

"Lily?" Parker asked. Lily looked up at him, still smiling. "Lily…boys like James Potter…they…well…they have expectations. He's not the type of boy I want you dating. You know the rules around here are not going to change."

"Fine," said Lily simply, though she looked rather annoyed.

"Now, you might not care what I say or think. But, you should care about your parents' opinion. What they would say or think," said Parker sternly. Lily smiled.

"I think they would want me to be happy," she said smiling. "It's just a sweater, Parks. It's not like it's an engagement ring." There was a long pause. "I think I'm going to work on my Charms homework." With that, Lily got up to look for the book to help her with her homework and started working on it. Parker sighed and stressfully ran a hand through his graying hair.

* * *

James walked down the corridor with his hands in his pockets, thinking about a certain redhead with big beautiful green eyes. Yes, he was thinking of Lily Evans yet again! As he walked down the corridor in a daze, Anna caught up with him.

"Jimmy you dimwit," she shouted laughing, "are you deaf?"

"What?" James whipped around and saw his older sister coming toward him. "Oh! Hey, there Annie…"

"How how have you been, little brother?" she asked teasingly when she finally reached him. James shrugged.

"Not bad…though you look a bit…frazzled," said James as he took in the look of her slightly messy hair which usually hung straight and neat around her shoulders.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to get a hold of you but you seem to be like a ghost lately," Annie admitted truthfully. "Listen, Jimmy, I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Let's have a cup of tea in my office," she said, not really answering. James shrugged and followed his sister down a few corridors and a few flights of stairs before actually reaching her office. Anna waved her wand in the air and two steaming cups of tea appeared before them. James sat down and took one of the cups, sipping the hot beverage timidly.

"Not that I'm not enjoying your company, Annie. But what did you want to talk to me about?" James asked, taking another sip, looking at his sister curiously.

"Well, Dad sent me an owl today," she said. James's smile instantly transformed into a dangerous frown. Annie actually found it a little scary. When her brother did not say anything, she continued. "He said he spoke to you at the play…for about three seconds."

"Yeah," he muttered, slamming his cup of tea down on the table, "sending a bag of Galleons every month doesn't exactly make a man your father…"

"James, you're still too young to understand this…but there were a lot of reasons why…"

"There shouldn't have been any reasons Annie! He left us! He left his family behind! He had no right to do that! What kind of man does that, Annie?" James shouted bitterly and angrily, jumping to his feet so fast that he loudly knocked over his chair. "I tell myself every day that if I ever have a child that I will never leave him or her! I will always be there for my son or daughter no matter what!"

Anna stared at her younger brother for a minute deep into the eyes, as though she were reading into his soul. She timidly took a sip of tea and sighed.

"You need to forgive him too," was all she said. "You need a father."

* * *

Remus, Peter, and Achelle were walking down the corridors between classes as Remus looked at the pictures that Achelle had taken during the Spring Play. He came across one picture of Lily in her emerald, silk, green gown and her red hair in curls loose and long. She was walking around the stage and singing her heart out.

"Lily Evans," Remus said in a singsong voice when he came across the picture. "Oh me, oh my, Lily Evans. She was looking gorgeous in that play. Whoa…"

"She did not look gorgeous!" Achelle snapped furiously, looking at the way James's eyes trailed her as she sang on the stage and walked back and forth in the picture.

"Oh, no she make not look gorgeous normally, but yeah in that play I've got to say that looked gorgeous," said Peter, as ogled at the picture of Lily. "I would definitely say she looked gorgeous…yeah…"

Jealousy soared through Achelle's veins and she wanted nothing more than to tear that picture out of Remus's hands, slap that look of infatuation off their faces, and rip Lily's picture in a million little pieces. She found herself hating Lily Evans more than ever because now even Remus and Peter were confirming that she was good looking. And what was even worse was that James had been rumored to have been following the red head around like some lovesick puppy.

Achelle wanted to know the best way to ruin Lily Evans. But what could she do? The girl kept to herself and never really talked to anyone; and her uncle was a professor for Merlin's sake. Then, it hurt her like lightning. It was an idea so brilliant and so perfect; perfect for getting back at what Lily Evans stole from her.

"I have the best idea…" whispered Achelle; her eyes were nearly bulging out of her head and she looked almost insane.

"What are you talking about?" asked Remus slowly. "Achelle, are you alright?" But she did not answer. She just grabbed Remus and Peter's arms and dragged them off of to go find Sirius and Fiona.

The three of them eventually found Sirius and Fiona snogging in the Gryffindor Common Room. Achelle told them all of her plan and they all agreed anxiously; Achelle knew that Sirius, Remus, and Peter could never turn down a decent prank.

So, in secret, the five of them took out their wands and remodeled the picture of Lily from the Spring Play and made hundreds of copies with their wands. Fiona and Peter handed them out to everyone in the school, supported by Sirius, Remus, and Achelle. The whole group, except for James of course, congratulated Achelle on thinking of such a master prank.

'This will definitely get James to stop crushing on that ridiculous little bookworm,' Achelle thought to herself.

* * *

Lily walked through the corridors and from the Great Hall to the dungeons, when she realized that she was getting a lot of curious stares. Normally people did not pay any attention to her and quite frankly, as shy as she was, Lily liked it that way. She walked to her Potions class, clutching her books, holding them tightly to her chest.

"Lily!" a voice called from behind. Startled; Lily looked up and saw Achelle Marshall coming towards her. Achelle was known to be one of the most popular girls at Hogwarts. Lily could not for the life of her, figure out why such a popular girl had a sudden desire to talk to her. But, Lily was not one for brushing people off and she bit her lip before staring down at her feet, unable to look Achelle in the eye.

"Er...hi Achelle," Lily said quietly.

"Listen, Lily, I just want you to know that there are no hard feelings between us," said Achelle, looking somber. "James and I are completely over." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"James? Achelle, I really don't know what you're talking about," she said quietly and continued walking towards the Potions classroom.

"Lily!" Achelle called again. Lily turned and faced her, still looking curious and confused. "Lily, I have to tell you…you would look so beautiful if you knew how to do your make-up."

"Oh…well…thank you," said Lily, smiling genuine. A lot of people might have taken that for an insult, but she most certainly did not. Lily had this habit of always trying to see the good in people, things, and comments.

"Why don't you come and sit next to me during Potions?" suggested Achelle, smiling brightly at the red headed girl.

"Okay, sure" said Lily smiling. Suddenly, she felt excited at the prospect of finally making a friend.

Lily enthusiastically followed Achelle into the classroom to find many of the students laughing hysterical. Achelle brushed past Lily and walked to the table where Sirius and Peter, who were sitting with Remus and Fiona, all trying to suppress a laugh. Lily raised an eyebrow but slowly followed her new friend to the table. But even she could not fail to notice that everyone was looking at her and sniggering. Achelle approached the table and slowly picked up a piece of parchment that was sitting on it, next to Sirius, and looked at it, as though pretending to be shocked.

"WOW!" she said in mock amazement, putting a hand to her mouth. "Lily, is that…_you_?"

Achelle handed Lily the parchment. Lily took it and her eyes widened at the sight. It was most definitely her, but at the same time, it was not her. It was a picture of her from the Spring Play except the Marauders and their groupies had used magic to make the dress in the photo extremely revealing and her bust and butt very enlarged. They also messed with her face; putting on witch warts and blemishes On top of the photo, they had edited it so that there were words across the top reading: _**Bookworm?**_

Lily, wanting to sink through the floor with embarrassment and shame, looked around the room to see everyone laughing at her. And suddenly, Lily understood this to be a set-up. Achelle had never wanted to be her friend; she just wanted to bring her in a pool of humiliation and shame. And she had bought it.

Sirius was cackling, almost evilly with Fiona in his lap, also laughing. Peter was leaning on Remus for support because he was laughing so hard, his finger pointed at Lily. Remus was no angel either; he was laughing too, clutching on to his stomach.

Tears formed in Lily's eyes. Sure, she normally did not care what other people thought, but there are something a person could not ignore. Sure, the Marauders had always made comments and jokes about her, but now this little stunt included the whole school. The whole school was laughing at her now, not just the Marauders. Achelle was not laughing however; she was just staring at Lily with a satisfied smirk on her face.

As the tears started to flow down her cheeks, Lily turned around to run out the door and hide away from the world, but, blinded by tears, collided into someone. To her immense surprise, that person slowly wrapped their arms around her in a comforting hug and she immediately began to cry into their shoulder. Lily looked up into the face of her Good Samaritan and was astonished to see that it was James Potter who was hugging her tightly, shooting death glares at his friends.

"Look, don't worry," he whispered gently into her ear. "Just stay here. I'll take care of this." Lily nodded, tears streaming down her face. James let go of her and stormed towards the rest of the Marauders, Achelle, and Fiona.

"No wonder you've been keeping her locked up, Prongs," said Sirius, grinning mischievously at James as he approached, then he turned his gaze on Lily. "I had no idea that _this_ was underneath all _that!_" He laughed almost evilly. Lily gave a small sob. And the very sound tore at James's heart strings. James furiously snatched the paper out of Sirius's hand and shoved him away…hard.

Sirius was startled, but angry. He stormed towards James, who stood his ground and if looks could kill, Sirius would have died the most painful death.

"Sirius don't-"

"Stay out of this, Fiona!"

"Padfoot-"

"Shut it, Moony!" shouted Sirius before furiously turning back to James. "I'm not putting up this, Prongs! I won't allow you to date something like that...that...that ugly piece of-"

James was so blinded with fury that punched Sirius as hard as he could square on the jaw. Sirius stumbled backwards, falling into Fiona's arms. There was a long silence as everyone held their breath; not believing the sight before them. James Potter had just punched his best friend, Sirius Black…over a girl. And it was not just any girl; it was Lily Evans; a girl who, two weeks ago, meant nothing to James. Everyone had their breath, waiting for what would happen.

James just stared Sirius down; long and hard. Sirius shoved Fiona's caring hands away and slowly turned towards his best friend. Remus tried coming between them, trying to get them to see reason, but Sirius shoved him away roughly and stared down at his James before snapping: "We're through!"

"That's fine by me," said James coolly as he turned around and walked towards Lily, who was still crying, but very shocked at what James had done. She could not believe he had defended her like that; that he had ended his lifelong friendship with Sirius Black who had always been like a brother to him. But, despite James's caring attitude towards her, she still could nott stop the tears from streaming down her face

"We are through forever!" Sirius continued to shout. James ignored him and held Lily's tear stained face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Lily nodded, still crying. "Come on; let's get the hell out of here."

"You made a mistake, James!" Sirius shouted, still trying to get another rise out of his best friend. It was clear that he wanted another fight; another excuse to hit James. But, James just ignored Sirius; he was too busy putting a comforting arm around Lily and guiding her out of the classroom. "You're a chicken, James! You're a coward!"

James guided Lily out of the dungeons and she continued to sob. James pressed her head towards him so that she could cry into his shoulder, which she gratefully did. Once they were out of the dungeons he hugged Lily tightly.

"Lily, I'm so sorry about that," he whispered in her ear, trying to comfort her. "They're immature morons, okay?" Lily continued sobbing into his shoulder. James hugged her tighter and patted her silk red head gently.

"C'mon," he whispered. "Let's get out of here."

Lily lifted her head from his shoulder. James still had his arm around her and they did not say anything until they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room. James guided Lily to the dark, red sofa and sat her down, him sitting beside her. He patted her head gently in a comforting manner. "Are you sure you're okay, Lily?"

"I'm fine," she said quietly. The tears had finally stopped, but her eyes were red and puffy. "But, thank you…thank you for everything." She gave him a weak smile.

"You're welcome," he said smiling, looking into her forest green eyes. And he meant it too. Lily looked back into his chocolate brown; the first time she really ever looked anyone in the eye. There was a long pause. Finally, Lily looked away and stared into the fireplace.

"Lily?" James said awkwardly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I was wondering…I…I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay?"

"Will…er…will you go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" asked James with a hopeful and innocent look in his deep brown eyes, blushing slightly. He had never been this nervous asking out a girl and thrilled and scared him at the same time. Lily's eyes widened at his question, obviously not expecting it, and blushed too.

"You mean…like…like a date?"

"Err…well…yeah…"

"Oh…James…I'm sorry, I can't go…" whispered Lily, looking at her feet, her voice trailing off. James's hopeful look suddenly became one of hurt and rejection. He felt like his heart was ripped out and stomped on. His stomach came out of his throat and he felt like the world was crashing down around him. Girls had rejected him before and it had never phased him. Why did this one hurt so much?

"Oh!" croaked James, feeling a lump in his throat. "Is there…another guy…or…?"

"No," said Lily quickly. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" asked James, now curious. Lily hesitated, biting her lip. "You can tell me, Lily."

"Do you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise!" swore James using his finger to make a crisscross over his heart and put his finger to his lips. Lily sighed and took a deep breath.

"I…I'm not allowed to date," she whispered honestly. James looked at her for a second, than gave a weak grin.

"Oh!"

* * *

The next day, James nervously walked towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, fidgeting with his fingers. He could hear Professor Starkson preparing for his next lesson and James quietly entered the room.

"Boggarts are-" he spotted James and his eyes immediately narrowed and his posture stiffened. "Can I help you, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes sir," said James confidently and he walked forward so that he was standing directly in front of the professor's desk. Parker raised an eyebrow at him but allowed him to continue with his speech. "I'd like to ask your niece to Hogsmeade this weekend."

"That's not possible," he said without even thinking about it and he went back to his lesson plan. James stared at him with his fists clenched. Normally would have backed down but this was about Lily Evans. And James Potter was not about to give up on an incredible girl like Lily Evans.

"With all due respect sir, I ask that you reconsider," said James sounding firm. Parker looked at him again, eyes narrowed, though he looked slightly startled over James's persistence.

"With all due respect Mr. Potter, I made my decision and that's final," he said, just as firmly as James had said. James just stared at him; his face completely expressionless. "You can exit the way you entered." Parker looked back down at his lesson plan but James did not leave; he did not even move. Parker slowly raised his eyes back at James.

"Look, I know I haven't treated Lily the way I should have over the years," started James. "She deserves so much more than that; more than me anyway."

"What are you trying to say, Potter?" hissed Starkson, now sounding impatient.

"Professor, you always said that anytime we come across an obstacle in life, whether it is a boggart, a Death Eater, or Voldemort himself, to always have faith in ourselves and our instincts to try and get past it," said James, sounding assertive. "Well, now, I'm just asking you for the same thing that you teach us every day here in class. And, that's faith. I want you to have faith in me, Professor."

Parker stared at James as though he were something remarkable, or something disgusting. He could not believe that he actually had the nerve and courage to persist him about taking Lily out on a date. Most boys would have given up already, but James was not. He realized that James must really want to spend time with her. Starkson knew it was either because he really cared for her or he just wants one thing.

'James is asking for faith, so I'll give it to him,' he thought

So, he did.

* * *

James waited at the foot of the stairs wearing a nice pair of khakis and a plaid blue, collared shirt with the top buttoned unbutton and white T-shirt underneath. He tried desperately to flatten his hair, but that did not work out very well.

Finally, he saw Lily coming down the stairs from the girls' dormitories. She was dressed simple, wearing a long white sundress and the emerald green sweater; the same one James had gotten for her. Her wearing the sweater really made him happy and pleased; like he had done a good job. The sweater really brought out the color of her stunning green eyes. Her hair was down and long red curls streamed down her shoulders like a red river. To James, she looked nothing short of amazing.

"Hi!" she said brightly as she approached him. James beamed back at her, his eyes glowing with adoration.

"You look…beautiful…" he whispered. Lily blushed and muttered a quick but sincere 'Thank you.' James held out his hand for her and Lily took it. Without hesitating, he entwined his fingers with hers.

They walked into Hogsmeade together, hand-in-hand. Lily thought they were just going to the Three Broomsticks for lunch like the rest of students normally did, but James led her past the popular pub. Instead he brought her to the fancy restaurant that had just opened in Hogsmeade called the Magical Mermaid. Lily was stunned that James had decided to take her to such a nice place.

"I still can't believe you asked my uncle's permission," she said smiling. James looked at her and smiled back.

"Don't worry, he was fine about it," said James as the hostess led them to their table. James and Lily each ordered a butterbeer and the couple glanced over at the menus. Lily looked at the prices on the menu and her eyes widened.

"Erm….James?"

"Is there something wrong?" James asked in concern.

"No!" Lily said quickly and reassuringly. "No, it's just that this restaurant is really nice and really expensive…and…Are you sure this is okay?" James grinned at her.

"Don't even worry about it," he said grinning. Lily smiled. "You get whatever you want. Okay?"

"Okay," said Lily, smiling brightly.

Their dinner consisted of good food and a conversation about getting to know each other; favorite foods, subject in school, and how weird it was to have a sister and an uncle as a professor at Hogwarts.

"What's your favorite color?" asked James, taking a bite of his steak. Lily chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Red," she said simply.

"Like your hair?"

"Not just my hair," said Lily, smirking. "It's also the color of my mother's hair and one of the Gryffindor colors. It just brings comfort to me. What's your favorite color?"

"Green," said James without hesitation. Lily tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Why green?"

"Because it reminds me of the color of your eyes," said James simply, looking directly into them. Lily's eyes widened and she blushed severely. James smiled at her modesty and reached across the table to take her hand in his own. He did not have to tell her how beautiful he thought they were; she already knew.

After dinner, James saw Lily looking at the people on the dance floor and she turned to James smiling.

"Do want to dance?" asked Lily, gesturing excitedly to the dance floor. James shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Uhh…I don't dance," he said simply. Lily smiled nervously.

"It's okay. I don't like dancing in front of other people either," she said, smiling shyly.

"Well…no…I don't dance…at all…as in I can't…" James stuttered as he continued shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"What? That's why you don't want to dance?" asked Lily, shocked, but still smiling. "But, everybody can dance. It's just moving your arms, legs, and limbs around. C'mon you can't be that bad."

"You'd be surprised," James muttered. Lily overlooked it.

"Please?" asked Lily, pouting her lip and giving him a puppy dog look. "For me?"

'For you?' James thought to himself. 'Bloody hell how can I resist that?' Reluctantly, James stood up and held out his hand for Lily to take.

"Yes!" Lily cheered and she took his hand. Despite how much James did not want to dance, he was pleased that he could make Lily smile like that. Gently and hesitantly, he led her to the dance floor. He put a hand on her waist and took the other in his hand as Lily placed a hand on his shoulder. James took one step and it landed right on Lily's foot.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," said James, "I told you I was bad at this."

"But I can't complain because you did warn me," said Lily smiling up at him. James laughed. She had a sense of humor too! Could this girl get any better?

"That's right!" James and Lily laughed as they barely moved on the dance floor, especially compared to the other couples.

"So…" started James, "I have another question for you."

"And what's that?"

"What's number one on your to-do list?"

"Oh, I'm not telling that one," Lily said in a singsong voice, shaking her head teasingly. "Not yet, Potter." James chuckled.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, feeling inwardly defeated, but he knew he would try again later. "Well, my number one is getting the hell out of England and going to America."

"Getting out of England is not going to be your problem, James" said Lily. "Your problem is going to be finding out what you're going to do when you get to America."

"What do you mean?" James asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily smiled pleasantly at him.

"Well…because you can do anything you want to, James Potter."

'She is something else,' James thought as he looked into her happy, beautiful green eyes.

* * *

After dinner, James and Lily walked hand in hand back to Hogwarts, when James got a sudden burst of inspiration.

"C'mon," he nearly shouted, holding on to Lily's hand tighter and dragging her towards his dormitory.

"Uh…James?" Lily asked cautiously when they reached his dormitory. "What are you doing?" James did not answer; he was too busy rummaging through his trunk. He pulled out his broomstick, an Invisibility Cloak, and his wand. He opened the window to the dormitory and sat on his broomstick.

"C'mon, Lils," he said reaching out his hand for her to take.

"What's going on?"

"You'll see," he said grinning. Lily reluctantly took his hand as James dragged her on to the broomstick and sat her in front of him. He slipped an arm around her waist and the other held on to the broom as James pushed off the ground and flew out the window. Lily gasped and James could feel her trembling violently.

"What's the matter?" James asked gently as he flew higher into the night clouds. Lily seemed to be holding her breath.

"I-I'm afraid of heights," she said as she shivered in fright. Instinctively, James tightened his hold on her.

"I won't let you fall," he whispered reassuringly in her ear. Lily nodded and decided to take a risk and look down. She gasped. They were way above the clouds and it was just so beautiful. To Lily, it the sky below her resembled large fluffy pillows; these pillows were surrounding them in a mystical dark blue blanket.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered into the night. James heard her and smiled.

"Just like you," he whispered in her ear. Lily blushed and smiled to herself, biting her bottom lip.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Hold on, you'll see," said James as he continued flying in the sky. Finally, after a few hours, he lowered his broom and there were very far away from Hogwarts. James dismounted and took Lily's hand, a big, excited, goofy grin on his face.

"C'mon, Lils!" James shouted, running, dragging Lily to what looked like the middle of nowhere. James looked around for a second and nodded in approval before turning back to Lily. "Ok, Lils, put one foot there," he said pointing to one side of a line in the cement road that Lily had not noticed before. "And your other foot there." He pointed to the other side of the line. Lily obeyed, now standing in a straddle.

"You're acting like a lunatic," Lily said smiling, looking at James like he was crazy. "What's going on?"

"Okay, right now, you're straddling the boundary line of Scotland and England," explained James, as though pleading with his eyes for her to understand. But Lily did not understand; but simply raised a confused eyebrow.

"Okay…"

"You're in two places at once without magic," said James pointing to the sign that said _Welcome to Scotland_.

Lily stared at the sign for a full minute before her eyes widened with pure happiness and delight as she let what he said slowly sink in. James had his hands in his pockets, grinning like a maniac; almost innocently. Lily busted out laughing with joy and threw her arms around James's neck. James put his arms around her and swung her around and the pair just happily laughed in each other's arms.

"C'mon, I got another surprise for you," James whispered in her ear after setting her down. Lily nodded and James took her hand and they flew back to Hogwarts. Finally, James landed by the Great Lake and sat down. He motioned for Lily to sit down next to him. As Lily sat down beside James he was pulling something out of his robes. It was a packet full of fake Muggle tattoos.

"Where'd you get those?" Lily asked eagerly.

"I take Muggle Studies," explained James. "I told Professor Melidon that I was interested in Muggle tattoos and asked if she could get some for me for tonight. She gave me these telling me that they're fake tattoos. I thought this was better than those nasty real ones. I wouldn't want anyone sticking a needle in you. Plus, your uncle would go bugger if he found out you got a tattoo."

"Yeah, you're right," said Lily chuckling. James laughed.

"So, what do you want? The butterfly, star, or flower?" asked James.

"Why, the lily of course!" said Lily with a giggle. James grinned and took out the packet with the flowers on it. There was a large lily on it.

"Appropriate," he said simply. Lily chuckled again. "So…where do you want it?"

Lily looked at her arms, her hands, than her shoulders. She took a second glance at her shoulder and took off her sweater. Then she lowered the sleeve of her sundress to show a bare shoulder.

"Right there," she said, as she pointed to the back of her shoulder blade. James grinned lop-sided and nodded.

'Is she teasing me?' he thought, 'because she's doing a damn good job.' He overlooked his thoughts and opened the package. He pressed the tattoo of the lily on Lily's shoulder and took out a wet sponge that he had conjured. After a minute, he peeled the piece of wet paper off her shoulder, revealing a fake white lily tattoo on Lily's shoulder. He grinned and his eyes met Lily's in a silent moment.

Lily's eyes were filled with such happiness that it made James felt his stomach was doing somersaults. His heart was beating so hard that he felt like his lungs would explode and his ribcage would break. The truth was, James liked knowing that he could make her this happy and making her dreams come true. He smiled at her and blew on her shoulder to dry the tattoo. Then he touched it gently, making goose bumps appear on Lily's bare shoulder. James looked into Lily's emerald green eyes and smiled. To his delight, she smiled back.

Most boys would have tried to kiss or make-out with Lily at that moment, since she was teasing him after all, even if she did not mean to. But, James did not try anything. He knew that Lily would not want that and he respected that about her.

The truth was that he did not need to kiss her. Lily looking into his eyes and him looking back at her was enough. Her presence was enough. It was all he needed. And, that was enough. It was enough to last him his entire life.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Wow I had no idea how long these last two chapters were! It took forever to revise both of them but here they are…done and hopefully improved! Please enjoy the story and please don't forget to review to let me know what you think! They are greatly valued and appreciated!


	5. Three Words

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Three Words:**

James and Lily walked hand in hand, their fingers entwined around the Great Lake a few times, enjoying each other's company and getting to know each other some more. There were laughs, there were nods of understanding, and there was gentle squeezing of each other's hands to show their mutual affection for one another. The gentle night breeze whipped through their hair. Lily smiled as the wind blew gently against her face thinking there could not be a more perfect ending to a more perfect day with James.

"I don't understand," she whispered. James looked at her curiously with his eyebrow furrowed.

"What don't you understand?"

"I remember asking you once if you believed in anything good, like love. It was when I showed you my Muggle telescope on the Quidditch Pitch," said Lily casually. "Do you remember?"

"I remember."

"Do you remember what you said?"

"Not particularly."

"You said no; that you didn't believe in any of that because there was so much bad stuff in the world," said Lily, still looking at the stars.

"Yeah, that sounds like me. What's there to understand though?" asked James, desperately trying not to sound snappy.

"I just don't understand how you can look at the stars, fly through the night's sky on your broomstick, and have moments like this and not believe in all the good in the world," she whispered into the night.

"You seem so confident in that goodness…" he said, smiling, though he still sounded unsure about it himself.

"Goodness," she repeated in a soft whisper. She let go of his hand and walked towards the edge of the Great Lake as James watched her intently. This normally seemed too deep of a conversation for a first date, but James found himself fascinated with Lily Evans. "It's like the wind, James. You can't see it…but if you try hard enough, you can feel it."

"What do you feel?" asked James, taking a step closer to her. Lily smiled and closed her eyes as the wind blew through her long silky red hair.

"I feel…wonder…beauty…joy…" whispered Lily, her eyes still closed. James's eyes widened as Lily said these words, for they were the exact description of what he felt like every time he was with or thought of Lily. But it was not goodness that Lily was describing. James realized that it was actually….

"...love," she whispered into the wind. She opened her eyes and turned around to face James again. "Goodness is love and love is goodness. I mean, it's the center of everything."

James nodded and walked closer to her. When he was directly in front of her, James could do nothing but just stare lovingly into her sterling green eyes as she stared back into his own. For a moment, time stopped and they just got lost in each other's eyes.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked in a gentle whisper. Lily's eyes widened.

"I…I've never kissed anyone before," she whispered back. "I might be bad at it." James let out a weak chuckle and shook his head.

"That's not possible," he said quietly. Then, he leaned in, closed his eyes, and kissed her deeply, but gently on the lips. Lily closed her eyes and kissed him back. It felt so right and so real for the both of them. James put his hand to her cheek and pulled away, gently stroking her cheek with the padding of his thumb. Lily just looked at him for a second, then back at her feet, as though ashamed for what she was doing.

"Lily?" James whispered gently. When she did not look up at him, James took his index finger and titled her chin so his eyes met with her own. They say eyes are the window into the soul and James could feel himself looking deep into her soul.

"Lily," he said again, "I love you."

That was the first time James had said those words to anyone outside his of his immediate family. He never, in his whole life, thought he would be saying them to someone like Lily Evans. He had always thought that saying those words to a girl would be difficult for him to do. But, it was not; quite the opposite actually. James never thought something could be so easy and it was easy saying those words to Lily because truly mean them; he was sure of it. In fact, James was never so sure of anything in his entire life.

When Lily heard James's words, she did not say anything. Her green eyes slowly widened until they looked like they were about to pop out of her head. Instead of her eyes being filled with shock, they were filled with grief, worry, and concern, which deeply concerned James. Tears started to form in her grief-stricken eyes until she broke down sobbing completely. James, not knowing what he said or did wrong, just slowly wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.

"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked urgently. "What did I do?"

"Don't say that," she cried, her voice muffled against his chest. "Please, don't say that!"

"Don't say what? That I love you?" James asked desperately. Lily sobbed harder.

"Stop it!" she sobbed; now pressing her fists against his chest. "Stop saying that!"

"But, it's the truth Lily," said James, trying to calm her down. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"James," she said quietly, pulling her face out of his chest. "I told you not to fall in love with me!" As though she were ashamed again, Lily buried her face in his chest again. It were as if the very thought of someone loving her was absolutely appalling.

"Well, it's too late, because I already have fallen for you," he said, taking her face out of his chest and looking deeply into her green eyes. "And nothing can change that, Lily Evans; nothing."

Lily closed her eyes nodded, as though accepting James's love and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest once again. James did not want her to hide that beautiful face so he lifted her head, leaned in and kissed her again.

Lily wanted to doubt James's love for her, but knew by the way that he kissed her, she would never be able to do that.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. I know this chapter was ridiculously short compared to the other ones but that's just how it goes. But, this chapter has been…I hope…successfully revised. Please don't forget to review, as they are inspiring, but most importantly, please enjoy the story!


	6. True Love

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – True Love:**

That following Monday morning, James woke up bright and early feeling like skipping through the corridors of Hogwarts. He could not remember a time in his life when he had been happier. As he heard the Muggle-borns say it, he was on Cloud Nine. He leaped out of bed and quickly took a shower and got dressed before anyone else got up. Thinking of how he could surprise Lily, he grabbed a quill and performed a little bit of his famous Transfiguration. He slipped on his uniform and robes before skipping out of the boy's dormitories and up the the stairs to the girl's.

James quietly and timidly opened the door. He looked around and tried to guess which bed belonged to Lily. He slowly opened the hangings on one and saw that it was Achelle. James closed them hurriedly; the last thing he needed was for Achelle to see him standing over her bed with a gift. Then, he moved to the next bed and saw Fiona. Then there was the last bed, all the way by the window. James grinned to himself and opened the hangings and there she was, sleeping peacefully.

Her long red hair was in a messy tangle and her mouth was slightly open with a little dribble coming out of the corner. In truth, she was a mess, but, to James, she looked just as beautiful as she did the night of the Spring Play and last night. He smiled realizing he enjoyed watching her sleep.

After about a minute of watching her, he kissed her forehead gently. Lily yawned, stirred, and her eyes fluttered open, revealing those stunning green eyes of hers.

"Hey there, Flower," he said smiling. Lily smiled and sat up.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, looking around frantically, making sure that no one was around. She would never hear the end of this if her uncle found out her boyfriend was sneaking into her dormitory.

"I wanted to give you this," he said, handing her a small white lily, which he transfigured from the quill. Lily's eyes glowed and she took the flower.

"Thank you," she said quietly, in her little mouse voice. James smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Do you want me to wait for you downstairs?" James asked. Lily beamed.

"Only if you want to…"

"Of course I want to!"

Lily's eyes glowed brighter with happiness.

* * *

Lily came down the steps, wearing her Hogwarts uniform and her hair was tied up in its usual ponytail. James smiled at her and held out his hand for her to take. She took it gladly and they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As they walked in comfortable silence, James looked at Lily and reached up and took the hair tie out of Lily's hair, letting her red curls fall down her back.

"Hey!" Lily cried out in protest, trying to take her hand tie out of James's hand.

"Could you please leave it down?" he asked in a whisper, running his fingers through her long hair, which he thought could have been mistaken for red silk. "You're beautiful Lils and you shouldn't hide it." Lily blushed scarlet, but nodded after a moment. James smiled at her, she smiled sweetly back and once again, he entwined his fingers with hers.

"Hey Potter," came a slimy voice from behind the pair of them. James stopped short and frowned. He slowly turned around to face his school arch nemesis; Severus Snape.

"What do you want, Snape?" he snarled.

"I see you've fallen for a Mudblood," said Snape, gesturing towards Lily. James's face went red with rage but Lily tightened her hold on his hand.

"Don't…" she whispered it so low that James was surprised that he even heard it.

"I knew you were low, Potter," continued Snape, his bottom look curling with a cold sneer, "but I never thought you were _that_ low!"

James let go of Lily's hand and stormed towards Snape, taking out his wand. He pointed it at Snape's face, who immediately stopped laughing and looked at James fearfully. Lily gave a small gasp.

"Never…_ever_…insult her like that again or I'll hex you so bad you're dead, slimy Slytherin ancestors will feel it," James snarled, his voice full on venom. Snape had never seen such a fury in James. He got so freaked out that he just nodded weakly, his black eyes full of fear. Lily just stared at James wide-eyed. Satisfied with Snape's reaction, James pocketed his wand and then kicked Snape right below the belt. Snape wheezed in pain as James took Lily's hand and led her to the Great Hall.

"You shouldn't have done that," she said quietly.

"Nobody insults you and gets away with it!" James said, frowning at the thought of Snape.

"But he's not worth it," said Lily.

"No, he isn't," said James shrugging simply. He looked at Lily and smiled. "But, you're worth getting a detention for." Lily blushed and smiled sheepishly. James grinned and kissed her cheek. Together, they walked into the Great Hall.

James and Lily walked right past Sirius, Remus, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona and towards the rejected side of the Gryffindor table. Sirius rolled his eyes and avoided eye contact with James, which did not seem to bother James at all. Remus looked at his plate, as though ashamed at what had happened between him and his friend and Peter just frowned. Fiona's eyes widened in shock as panic entered Achelle's eyes. She could not believe how James could have fallen for Lily Evans, the most unpopular girl in school instead of her, beautiful and popular. She glared openly at Lily with the utmost disdain, but Lily did not notice or care about what Achelle thought about her anymore.

Parker Starkson just frowned and shifted uncomfortably in his chair, not liking how his niece and James Potter had come in walking hand in hand. James had that twinkle of joy and love in his eyes; the same look he had during the Spring Play. Parker wondered if it was somehow possible that James Potter grew up and truly had genuine feelings for Lily. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Parker," a female voice said. Parker turned around to see Anna Potter staring at Lily and James with a knowing smile. "If anyone knows James, it's me and I can see that look in his eyes, and with that look, I know he would never hurt your niece. I think he truly cares about her."

Parker smiled gratefully, but still was not so sure. James may have his sister tricked and won over Lily's trust, but the boy had not gained his. It would be a very long time before a boy like James Potter gained his trust.

* * *

That Saturday night, since it was not a Hogsmeade weekend, Lily and James decided to go for an evening stroll around the Hogwarts grounds. James even managed to convince Lily to go into the Forbidden Forest.

"No way!" Lily cried. "We could get killed!"

"Oh c'mon, you I'd never let anything hurt you…"

"How exactly are you going to fight off werewolves, centaurs, giant spiders, and other beasts?" Lily asked, looking into the forest, horrorstruck with her hands on her hips in a stern manner. James turned and grinned at her.

"Like this," he said as he transformed into a beautiful gray stag. Lily's eyes looked as though they were about to pop out of her head.

"James, you're…_you're an Animagus_?" Lily gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, hardly daring to believe. James transformed back into himself and grinned and nodded proudly. "_Wow…_that's amazing!"

"So, do you think you're brave enough to tread the Forbidden Forest with Prongs?" asked James with a mischievous smirk. Lily chuckled and nodded.

"So _that's _how you got that ridiculous nickname," she said with a playful grin as she crossed her arms over chest. James laughed and transformed so that Lily could climb on his back and together, they rode through the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest as Lily looked around in pure amazement.

James was glad that Lily did not ask any questions about him being an illegal Animagus. It secretly told him that Lily trusted him and that she did not want to control James or any aspect of his life; and she clearly did not want to make him feel uncomfortable. She trusted him and that meant the world to him; it meant everything to him.

After their adventure through the Forbidden Forest (fortunately, they did not meet anything dangerous, as James stayed on the outskirts of the forest) James and Lily decided to take another walk around the Great Lake and watch the sunset, waiting for. It was a lot like the night that James first told Lily that he loved her. The stars were, once again, shining brightly, sparkling against the dark blanket.

James, not wanting to go inside the castle on such a beautiful night, sat down by the water's edge and motioned for Lily to sit beside him. Lily smiled and sat close to James. He put his arm around her shoulder and the two just gazed at the stars. They were silent. But it was not an awkward silence, but a pleasant silence, to show that they did not need to talk. They just enjoyed the moment and each other's company.

After a while, James and Lily walked back to the school. James was heading to the Gryffindor Tower, but Professor Starkson wanted Lily to stop by before she went to sleep. She had been spending so much time with her new boyfriend that he hardly saw his niece anymore. James insisted on accompanying Lily to the office and then back to Gryffindor Tower; not feeling comfortable with her wandering the castle all on her own with the Marauders still angry with her and Achelle still out for blood.

When James and Lily stopped in front of Starkson's office, James whispered, "Wait," and before they could knock to have her uncle come out, he gave her one last gentle good night kiss and Lily eagerly kissed back.

"Ahem," came a voice from the office doorway, interrupting the love struck couple. Starkson had apparently heard them coming down the corridor and answered the door before they even knocked. But, unlike most teenage couples who get caught kissing, Lily and James did not jump. They were not even startled. They just pulled away slowly, looking deep into each other's eyes.

"Lily, say good night to Mr. Potter," said Starkson, now sounding annoyed over the fact that Lily and James were still looking at each other lovingly.

They looked up and saw Parker standing in the doorway, his hands folded behind his back, a stern look on his face as he stood protectively beside Lily, glaring at James. The two did not argue with Parker. They just looked back at each other and continued staring in each other's eyes. Parker grew impatient.

"James, go back to Gryffindor Tower!" he snapped. "The night is over!"

James reluctantly tore his eyes away from Lily's and smiled at her.

"G'night, Lily," he said,

"Good night."

"Good night, Professor," James said politely, nodding at Professor Starkson before giving Lily one last smile and turning away. He turned the corner of the corridor and disappeared out of sight. Lily smiled as she watched him go.

"Lily, I can't believe you!" Parker snapped impatiently. Lily snapped out of her daze and looked at her uncle.

"Believe what?"

"You're playing with that boy-"

"Playing?" Lily asked, astonished, but quietly. It almost came out like a gentle hiss. Parker stopped and looked at his niece, the firm look still in his usual gentle eyes.

"Lily, you are a child," he said sternly.

"Parks, look at me," said Lily quietly. " I'm all grown up. I'm no longer a little girl, I am a woman. I'm not a child anymore."

"Then stop acting childish!" Parker nearly shouted angrily, nearly getting in her face. Lily stared at her uncle intently, a complete somber look on her own face. They stared at each other and when Parker backed off, Lily finally spoke;

"I love him," she said simply.

Parker suddenly felt sick. It was like Lily's words about how she felt about James pierced his body, feeling as though he would bleed out. He wanted to shout at his niece and tell her she was too young to know what love is. But, he looked at her green eyes and saw that they were filled with so much joy and adoration and much to his dismay and desperation, he knew that she was not lying about her feelings for James.

"Then be fair to him," sighed Parker, rubbing the bridge of his nose in a stressful manner. Lily nodded, her eyes getting glassy. "Be fair to him, Lily…before things get worse!"

Lily nodded before turning around and heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room. As she turned the corner, Parker sighed and tears slowly came to his eyes. He let them fall down his cheek without a care in the world. He could not believe that he was losing Lily, to a boy. And not just any boy; he was losing her to James Potter. Parker knew that no matter what he did, what he said, or how hard he tried, he realized that there was nothing to stop those two teenagers from loving each other.

It seemed that James Potter and Lily Evans truly loved one another. And there was nothing he could do except walk back to his office and go to sleep.

* * *

It was yet another starry Friday night and Lily and James decided to have a secret, romantic midnight meeting. They wanted to do some stargazing with Lily's Muggle telescope.

Lily decided it was best if she and James left at different times so that no one would suspect and report them. They would be breaking several rules, such as being in bed after hours and Parker Starkson would curse James into oblivion if he had found out what they had been up to. As a result, Lily reached the Quidditch Pitch before James and was patiently waiting for him while carefully setting up her Muggle telescope.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of hands covered her eyes, startling Lily.

"Guess who?" a voice whispered in her ear. Lily smiled, immediately recognizing the voice.

"Mr. James Potter," she said grinning. The hand uncovered her eyes and she turned around to face her smiling boyfriend. She pecked him on the lips..

"I finished setting up the telescope," said Lily brightly. "Is there anything in particular that you wanted to see?"

"Hmm…" James thought for a moment, wearing a raised eyebrow. "I think I want to see…Pluto!"

"Uh, James, Pluto only rises a few minutes before the sun," she said chuckling, raising an eyebrow. James was suddenly smiling maliciously.

"Oh wow, that's right!" he stated as he started pulling items out of the duffel bag that he had brought with him. "That's why I brought us two bottles of hot butterbeer and a blanket." James took out the butterbeers and set them on the ground, than took out a soft, thick blanket and set it down before sitting on it himself.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Lily said slowly. James grinned again.

"Oh, I hope for it," he said playfully, patting the spot on the blanket next to him. Lily raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" Lily asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow, and grinning slightly. James looked at her innocently.

"Lily Evans!" he gasped jokingly. "How could you accuse me of something so rude and pigheaded?"

"Because your name is James Potter and I'm fully aware of your reputation," she said still grinning. "So, are you?"

"Well, that depends," he said slowly. "Are you seducible?" Lily laughed at James's question, knowing that he was just goofing off with her. James smiled up at her too.

"I thought so," he said quickly, going through his bag again. "Therefore I brought a second blanket; one for you and one for me!" He placed another thick, comfortable blanket next to his own. Lily smiled sweetly.

"Thank you!"

James got up and walked up behind Lily, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek. Lily smiled and gazed at her stars, the back of her head resting on James's shoulder. After a minute of resting comfortably in her boyfriend's arms, Lily came out of James's embrace and started looking through her telescope again.

"Is there something wrong, Lily?" asked James curiously, wondering why she had pushed away from his embrace. Lily pulled her head away from the Muggle telescope, biting her lip.

"James…"

"What's wrong, Lily?" he asked in concern, taking a step towards her and reaching forward to cup her face with his hands. "Is everything okay?"

"James…I…" her voice trailed off and she looked at her feet for a moment, taking in deep, shaky breaths. After a few moments, she looked into his eyes and what he saw made him suck in a lungful of air and held it. Lily had never looked at him like that before and thrilled and scared him at the same time. "…I love you," she finally whispered.

She loved him.

Lily Evans actually loved him.

James felt weak at the knees for a second. It was the first time Lily had ever said those words to him. James just searched her eyes, seeing the love she had for him swelling up within them.

Passion and excitement searing through his veins, James leaned in and kissed her. Lily, of course, kissed him back eagerly. James parted his lips to deepen the kiss, but did not take it any further. He did not need to try and take advantage of Lily like that. He would not do that anyway. He knew that Lily did not want to go that far physically until she was ready, and he respected that about her and loved her too much to do that and risk losing her. Plus, kissing was enough for him. If James was being honest, Lily just sitting beside him and knowing that she loved him was more than enough for him.

James parted from the kiss and beamed at her. Lily smiled back. He sat down on the blanket, while Lily sat in his lap. James wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing the side of her face. They both stared at the sky for a minute before James turned to look at Lily.

"So, what's number one on your life to-do list?" asked James, sounding just as curious as he had the first time he had asked. Lily looked at the ground for a minute and sighed. She loved James and did not want to keep any secrets from him. He had told her all his secrets, fears, hopes, and dreams, and now it was her turn to tell him. She trusted and loved him and that was all she needed to tell him.

"You promise not to laugh?" she asked timidly.

"Never…"

"I want to get married in the church where my parents were married," she said simply, looking back at the sky. "It's silly…but…it's important to me."

James nodded in understanding and kissed her cheek again before resuming his attention back to the stars.

* * *

James stretched and yawned, letting his muscles crack and whine, as he walked down the corridor to get some food from the kitchens. He had just dropped Lily off at Gryffindor Tower, and she was asleep. They were out all night looking at the stars, waiting to see Pluto. However, James's appetite won over for his need for sleep.

As he walked down the corridor he saw Anna also walking down it and he was right behind her. James grinned to himself and snuck up behind her before nearly jumping on her back screaming "Guess who?" Anna nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Jimmy!" she half shouted, half laughed. "Don't do that! You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry, Annie, but it was just too tempting to resist," said James, grinning maliciously. Anna rolled her eyes and smiled. She looked at her brother and noticed that he was still in the same Hogwarts uniform and robes that he had worn yesterday and that it was only six o'clock in the morning. James was never up that early.

"Were you out all night, James?" asked Anna suspiciously and somewhat appalled. She knew that James knew many of the secret passages out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade and that he always snuck out. Even though she knew it about it, it never seemed to bother her. James was always innocently mischievous like that, even as a small child.

"Yeah," James answered truthfully and looking sheepishly. Anna stared at him for a second.

"You were with Lily, weren't you?" Anna was looking at him in concern and James rolled his eyes at Anna for even thinking like that.

"Yeah," James answered, "but it wasn't like that."

"James, you have to be careful! She's Starkson's niece and that man is very overprotective of her. He loves her and you just can't-"

"Anna!" snapped James impatiently. Anna stopped. James never called her by her fell name unless it was something important. So, instead of freaking out on her brother, she decided to listen to him instead. "It's different with her, okay?"

"It's different with her," Anna repeated sarcastically. She knew that James loved Lily, but he was still a teenage boy with raging hormones and she was still a pretty teenage girl. But, James stared at her square in the eyes, with the look on his face that Anna had never seen on him before. She did not even have the words to describe the look on his face and eyes.

"It is," he said quietly. And that was all that he needed to say. Anna saw the love in his eyes. That was when she knew that James's love for Lily was truly genuine; that it was true. Anna finally realized that her younger brother would probably step in front of a Killing Curse to save Lily. James loved that girl more than life itself. When coming to this conclusion, Anna beamed at her brother and punched him playfully on the arm.

"You better be different with her," she said smiling. James gave a weak grin and stared at the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked Anna, raising an eyebrow. "You were glowing a second ago…"

"Annie," he said, his voice croaking, looking back up at his sister. "I can't explain it. Lily is everything to me. It's almost like she's part of me or something and if something happens to her, something happens to me. She…she just has faith in me. And nobody, except you, has ever had faith in me. But, Lily…she…she makes me want to be different…better…"

Anna's heart nearly melted at James's words and the sincere, loving look on his face.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. This may seem like a pointless chapter but I think it's important for future aspects of the story. I hope you also like the revisions I've made. Please don't forget to review the story, but most importantly, please don't forget to continue enjoying it!


	7. Lily's Secret

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Lily's Secret:**

It was finally another Hogsmeade weekend and James was so excited to take Lily on another date. The last time they had gone to the wizarding village, he had taken her out on a fancy dinner date. This time it would be more casual. He was determined to stock up her dormitory with Honeydukes' best candies and chocolates, a starting prank kit from Zonko's and a trip to the classic Shrieking Shack.

That Saturday, James and Lily walked hand in hand down the streets, just enjoying each other's presence. After he had spoiled her rotten at Honeydukes and bought her a starting joke kit at Zonko's, they headed towards the Shrieking Shack, as Lily admitted that she had never been there before and always wanted to.

As they walked, they saw Achelle and Fiona outside of the Three Broomsticks drinking some butterbeer with some heavy alcohol in it. It was obvious that they had too much and were drunk. When they saw the couple walking down the street, they openly glared and snarled at Lily, who just looked at the ground under their hateful stare. James dangerously narrowed his eyes at them, as though daring them to say something to Lily. But, since Sirius, Remus, or Peter were not around to help fight their battle, they just stalked (more like stumbled) away. James continued to glare at their backs until they were out of sight.

"Are you alright?" asked James his girlfriend in concern, using his forefinger to lift Lily's head away from the ground.

"I'm fine," she said meekly, not meeting his eye. James knew that there was something wrong but decided not to push the subject. He knew that Lily would tell him when he was ready. So instead, he nodded in understand and took her hand in his again as they walked towards the Shrieking Shack.

When they approached the Shack, James continued to ponder Lily's behavior. It was not just today; she had been very withdrawn and quiet throughout the entire week. He took in her slightly pale appearance and glassy eyes. Maybe it was Achelle and Fiona's looks that bothered her so much? Maybe they and the other Marauders had been harassing her all week? Had her uncle been pressuring her about spending less time with him? Or maybe it was what that meeting she had with her uncle and Dumbledore? James had to know. He had to know what was bothering Lily so that he could help her through it or fix it.

"Is there something wrong, Lily?" asked James, stopping them from walking any further to the Shack, but still away from prying ears. Lily stopped, but did not say anything. "Lily? What's bothering you? Is someone bothering you or giving you a hard time? Like the Marauders? Achelle? Fiona? The Slytherins? Did they do anything to you?"

"No, it's not anything like that," she whispered, and her voice sounded hard and honest so James believed her.

"Did something happen during your meeting with Dumbledore today?" James asked. Lily looked at him startled.

"No," she said in her mouse like voice. "Why?" James knew by her reaction that he had hit a nerve and that her behavior had something to do with that.

"You just don't seem like yourself," James said, taking his free hand and brushing her cheek with it.

"I don't know. I suppose I just didn't sleep well last night," was all she said. James knew that was not it because she did not look him in the eye when she said that. Lily always looked people in the eye when she talked and he could not shake how startled she had looked when he had brought up the meeting with Dumbledore and her uncle.

"Alright…" James said slowly, trying to tip toe delicately around the issue. "Was the meeting about what you're going to do after your graduate? Did you get accepted into a program at the Ministry or something?"

"No," Lily said quietly, "I'm didn't send an application to the Ministry."

"Oh!" James said uncertainly, not understanding why Lily did not send an application to the Ministry. After all, she wanted to be the first woman Minister, or Mistress of Magic. It was on her life to-do list after all. "Are you going to try and do that Muggle Peace Corps thing instead?"

"No," she said, and once again, her voice was hard and honest. James was thoroughly confused now, but once again, did not push the matter. Instead, he and Lily continued walking until they reached the Shrieking Shack until they found a private, little spot just outside the Shack.

"So what's going on? Are you planning to do anything after you graduate?" James asked gently, letting go of her hand and staring at her straight in the eyes. He was startled to notice that tears were starting to well up inside them.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"James," Lily said, taking a deep breath. "I'm cursed."

"Cursed?" James nearly yelled, once again, startled. "Did Snape hex you or anything because if he did, I'll take him and I'll rip him to-"

"James!" snapped Lily angrily and impatiently. James stopped mid-sentence and looked at his girlfriend completely astonished. Lily may have had a fiery temper, but she was very good at controlling it and she hardly ever angry with anyone and she certainly never, ever got angry with James.

"Lily?"

"I'm cursed, James" she repeated. James just stared at her, not understanding. "You don't understand, do you?"

"Not really…"

"James…" Lily's voice trailed off again and she looked away, biting her lip nervously. "Ever since I was born…Voldemort…has been after me. He…he wants me dead…"

James suddenly felt like someone let a rogue Bludger right into his gut. He felt nauseous; like snakes were crawling in his stomach and coming out of his throat and he found it hard to breathe. When he finally caught a hold of his breath, he grabbed Lily's hands tightly in his own, as though clutching on to them for dear life.

"W-what are you saying, Lily?" James, croaked, trying to hold back his vomit. "V-Voldemort is after you?" Lily nodded regrettably.

Suddenly a panic came over James, as though his entire world was spinning and there was no way to stop it. "But…but…but…why..?" He could no longer seem to form words. "You're only seventeen! Why in the bloody hell would he want you dead? There shouldn't be any reason for him being after you! You're only a seventeen year old girl! This doesn't make any sense, Lily!"

"It does make sense, James," she whispered, tears now streaming down her face. James felt sick to his stomach. "It'd make more sense if you…if you knew the reason…"

"What bloody reason could there be, Lily?" asked James incredulously, his feelings slowly turning from shock, bewilderment, panic, and into anger. How could this happen to anyone; much less someone like Lily? "What threat could you possibly impose upon that bugger?

"I-" she paused and took a deep, shaking breath, obviously trying to regain her composure. "James, I…I'm the Heir of Gryffindor…"

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Yeah, you weren't excepting that were you? Like I said, there were going to be changes from the original book and movie. So, I drastically changed Lily's condition; she's not sick. She just has the darkest wizard of all time wanting her dead. I know you'll probably think that that Lily being the Heir of Gryffindor doesn't make any sense, but the next chapter will answer all your questions, I promise. Thanks to my reviewers and please continue enjoying the story and please don't forget to review!


	8. Kidnapped

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Kidnapped:**

James stared long and hard at his girlfriend, trying to soak in the information that she was trying to tell him.

"W-w-what?"

"I'm the Heir of Gryffindor," repeated Lily, now looking at the fingers fidgeting in front of her nervously. "Voldemort is the Heir of Slytherin and he finds all of the other living Heirs a threat and wants all of us…including Gryffindor Heirs…dead."

"But…but you're Muggle-born!" said James, almost accusingly as though desperately trying to find a reason for her not to be a target of Voldemort. "How can you be an Heir of a wizard if you're Muggle-born?"

"Yes, my parents were Muggles and my sister is a Muggle, so he wasn't after them," explained Lily softly, trying to be patient with him. She knew that this had to be a lot for him to take in. "But, my great-great-ever-so great grandfather was a Squib. But, I guess I broke that mold and became a witch…"

"But, I thought your parents were killed by Voldemort?" asked James confusedly. "Why would he kill them if they were Muggles and didn't pose a threat to him?"

"He's Voldemort," said Lily reasonably. "When has he ever needed a reason to murder somebody? Besides, he only killed my parents because they wouldn't give me up; where I was…that I was living with my uncle. Now, after graduation I have to go into hiding."

"Why isn't he after your uncle?"

"My uncle is my mum's brother," explained Lily, now sounding casual. "The Gryffindor blood ran through my father's side."

"Why does he want the Heirs of the Hogwarts Founders dead?" asked James, now running a shaking hand nervously through dark, messy locks.

"To be honest James, I really don't know…" Lily whispered, shrugging helplessly, as though desperation for the answer as well. James's eyes welled up with tears and he ran his fingers through his hair again and took heaving, heavy breaths, as though trying to compose both his panic and his temper. Lily just watched him nervously, fidgeting with her hands as he soaked all of this in

"Why didn't you tell me?" James asked, almost angrily, finally breaking the heart-wrenching, deafening silence. Lily's heart stopped beating painfully in her chest as her mind searched for an answer that James deserved.

"Dumbledore said I should live life as normally as best as I could," said Lily, almost sobbing uncontrollably. "If I told you…if I told anyone…I didn't want anyone acting all weird and sympathetic around me."

"Including me?" James shouted angrily, now trying to hold back the tears.

"Especially you!" Lily shouted back, still sobbing hysterically. This answer confused James, but he was feeling way too much already to express his confusion. It did not matter anyway because Lily had turned away and was trying to force herself to calm down a bit. James wanted to comfort her but in truth, he felt like he needed the comfort. All he could do was watch her as she dried her eyes and turned back to him.

"Lily-"

"You know I was getting along fine, I accepted it, and then…" Lily sounded annoyed now. So, James got annoyed.

"And then what?" he snapped.

"And then…_you_ happened!" retorted Lily, pointing at James accusingly as tears once again began rolling down her cheeks.

With those words, James felt like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on. Did she mean that she regretted every dating him and falling in love with him? That everything they had shared had been a mistake? Because that is what it had most certainly sounded like she said. Knowing that that could be the case, James stared at Lily with such hurt and pain in his eyes that Lily could not bear to look at him that way. She could only mutter a hurried apology, turn away, and run back to the castle. James would have gone after her; he knew he should have gone after her but he could not seem to move his feet in her direction; almost as though he were unable to. He just slowly sat down against the wall of the Shrieking Shack and stared out into the abyss, tears welling up in his eyes and sliding down his cheek.

James could not believe it. He had lost his Lily. If not just this moment, but he would surely lose her in the future, especially with Lord Voldemort after her. What chance did she stand against Voldemort? What chance did _he _stand trying to protect her from the darkest wizard of all time?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, James heard a high-pitched scream that broke his morbid thoughts; it was Lily's scream.

James whipped around and, to his horror, saw five or sixth Death Eaters advancing on Lily, pushing her towards the Forbidden Forest. Without thinking, without even contemplating the dangers or consequences, James jumped to his feet and sprinted towards Lily, pulling his wand out of his pocket.

* * *

Lily sobbed as she ran towards the castle, thinking about what she had said to James. She knew that loved him more than anything and simply because of whom her ancestor was, she could no longer be with him. It would hold him back in life and put him in danger and he deserved so much more and better than that; more and better than her anyway.

As she ran past the Forbidden Forest, she thought she heard whispers coming from within. Curious, Lily slowed down a little and began to investigate. But, before she could soak in what she was seeing six Death Eaters suddenly jumped out in front of her and she let out a blood curling scream.

"Well, hello, Miss Evans," snarled one of them. Lily took a few steps back, breathing heavily. Unfortunately, she did not have her wand on her, and therefore had no way to defend herself. She started to panic and her heart was pounding painfully against her ribcage as she realized that these men were going to take her to Voldemort. As fear and panic soared through her veins, the Death Eaters were advancing on her, pushing her into the Forbidden Forest. Lily continued walking backwards, but stopped once she was pressed against a tree.

One of the Death Eaters raised his wand and pointed it at Lily, ready to attack and torture. Lily held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the Cruciatus Curse to hit her and for the pain to begin. But, instead of pain, all Lily felt was a slight breeze against, as though somebody had ran past her. Ignoring it, she continued keeping her eyes tightly squeezed shut, until she heard a Death Eater snarl; "Move out of the way, boy!"

Lily's eyes immediately snapped open and she saw James's tall, thin figure standing protectively in front of her with his wand pointed at the Death Eaters. She gasped and held her breath. This action by James was why she knew that she could not be with James. She knew he would try and protect her and end up getting killed in the process. Lily watched in horror as she watched the boy…the person she loved more than anything in the world face a group of very powerful Death Eaters.

"I said move out of the way, boy!" the Death Eater shouted again, but James stood his ground.

"Make me…" James hissed in a deathly whisper. Lily whimpered a little, silently pleading with James to go away and leave; not wanting to see him in pain, get hurt, or worst of all, dead.

"Fine," the Death Eater said coolly. "You won't move out of the way, boy? I'll _make _you move! _Crucio!_"

Lily watched in horror as James fell to the floor shrieking in pain. Finally, he wails of pain he somehow managed to scream, "Lily! Go! Run!"

Lily, not knowing what else to do, ran out from behind James and immediately towards the castle, desperate to get help. James watched her as he seethed in pain and clutched on to the grass with tight fists. But, to his horror, out of nowhere, a Death Eater ran in front of Lily and grabbed her. Lily screamed as the Death Eater Disapparated with her from the village.

"LILY! NO!" James shouted over his pain. The other five Death Eaters, who were cursing James, also Disapparated.

No matter how much he wanted to, James did not faint or collapse; he just could not. He knew that Lily's life was at stake and that every moment counted. He immediately summoned his broom, being much too weak to walk or run back to the castle. When his broomstick flew towards him, he slowly climbed on to it and flew into the night sky and, surprisingly, towards Godric's Hollow.

* * *

James reached Godric's Hollow around midnight. He stared at the huge manor for only a minute, shaking his head to erase away the memories, and then ran to the front door and pounded furiously on it.

"Dad!" James shouted as he slammed his fist against the fine, oak wooden door. "Dad, wake your bloody arse up and open the damn door!"

Nobody answered.

'Big surprise,' thought James as he turned to walk away, but he was halfway down the walkway, he heard the door open. James whipped around and saw Reginald Potter standing in the doorway.

"James?" he said, almost choking from shock over seeing his son; whether seeing him in general or seeing him this late into the night, James did not know. "James, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," said James, now sounding completely desperate. "It's my girlfriend…and she…she…"

"Oh bloody hell; she's not pregnant is she?"

"NO!" James shouted angrily, going red with both embarrassment and anger. "I love her! I would never do that to her or put her in that kind of position! Bloody hell, why does everyone assume I just want sex from this girl?" James was not ranting with anger; a habit that he normally had around his father.

"Alright James, I'm sorry," said his dad hastily. "Now, what's wrong? What is it?"

"Lily…she…she's the Heir of Gryffindor and Lord Voldemort wants her dead," said James quickly and bluntly. Reginald's eyes immediately widened. "And she was just kidnapped by Death Eaters and I need you to go and look for her!" James said all of this in one breath and was now breathing heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead. Reginald nodded and placed his hands firmly on his son's shoulders.

"James, I want you to calm down-"

"CALM DOWN?" James bellowed, growing impatient. "There's no time to calm down! Every second counts! Now can you help me or not?" He could not believe how indifferent and calm his father was being; it was infuriating him. His girlfriend, the girl he loved more than anything in the entire world, had just been kidnapped and his father was acting like nothing was wrong.

"James, I can't just go after her," said Reginald, sounding both uncertain and ashamed. "I need special permission from the Department of Law Enforcement. I mean for Merlin's sake, James, I'm an Auror, not the Minister of Magic, and-"

"I knew it," James snarled, "I knew you wouldn't care. You're useless." With that, James he pulled away from his father's grasp and stormed towards his broomstick with his fists clenched and anger rising dangerously high in his chest. The thought of Lily not being safe in his arms and in the clutches of Lord Voldemort and his father not caring made him beyond furious. James was so furious that he did not know what to do with himself. All he really could do was get on to his broomstick and fly back into the night sky, his father screaming and calling after him.

As James flew through the sky, tears welled up in his eyes. For all he knew, Lily could be dead right now and he would not be there for her. He suddenly felt like a failure. When Lily needed him most, he was not there and he was not able to protect her, especially when those Death Eaters attacked. He sobbed uncontrollably. He cried so hard, that in the end, he could not cry anymore, no matter how much it hurt inside him.

* * *

When James returned to Hogwarts, he immediately ran to Starkson's office, realizing that he should have gone there in the first place. Unlike Reginald Potter, Parker Starkson was a man that anyone, especially Lily, could rely on. James wanted to kick himself for thinking impulsively and not going to the right man.

When he finally reached Starkson's office, like his father's manor, James banged furiously on the door. Parker opened it looking very annoyed and tired all at once.

"Potter, what do are you think you're doing here banging on my doors during the middle of the nig-"

"It's Lily!" James shouted, interrupting his professor. Starkson immediately stopped lecturing his student and James knew that he had the man's undivided attention. "She was kidnapped…" Starkson held up his hand to stop James from talking; there were no more words needed. He knew exactly what the teenager was trying to tell him.

"Voldemort," muttered Starkson more to himself than anyone. He looked up at James with narrowed eyes. "Did she tell you?" James nodded. "I see, well, you better follow me." He and Starkson sprinted straight to Dumbledore's office and James told him everything that had happened.

"Well, I'll inform the Minister immediately," said Dumbledore, after James had finished his story. He picked up a quill and started writing a letter and this action only caused James's fury to increase.

"THAT'S IT?" he roared, standing up so fast that the chair behind him flung to the ground. "WRITE A LETTER TO THE MINISTRY? WE'RE JUST GOING TO SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING?"

"James, please calm down," said Dumbledore calmly, in a harsh whisper. James growled at the man and just stormed away, but Starkson grabbed him by the arm.

"Potter," he started, "it is best if you stay out of this. We're dealing with Voldemort and it is much too dangerous. It's better if you just leave this to us and its best that you just forget about Lily. It's too dangerous for you and it's _my_ job to look after her."

"There's no chance of that happening, Professor" James whispered harshly, as though the very thought was ludicrous. "I'm never leaving Lily; Voldemort or no Voldemort."

James pulled himself out of Starkson's grasp and ran out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Parker Starkson stared at the door long after James had gone through it. And strangely enough, there was a slight smile on his face. To him, that was proof; proof that James truly loved Lily and would look after her always.

James Potter had earned Parker Starkson's trust.

* * *

James did not go to any classes that morning. He just sat in his dormitory staring out of the window. He desperately wanted to go out there and look for Lily, but he did not know where to look, or where even to start. And he could not exactly go to Dumbledore or Starkson for answers because they surely were not going to give him any. They would just tell him not to worry about it and to move on with his life. But, James knew that was never going to happen because he knew he would never do better than Lily Evans.

As he continued to stare out of the window, he heard the dormitory door open, and then close. James sighed and ran a hand through his hair, knowing it had to be either Sirius, Remus, or Peter who entered. James was still not exactly on speaking terms with the Marauders ever since he had punched Sirius.

"James?" a voice asked timidly; it was Remus's voice.

"What?" James responded, almost in a breathless voice, his thoughts on Lily and Lily only; nobody else. She was all the mattered to him at the moment. Lily, sweet Lily, _his_ Lily was in Voldemort's hands, and it killed James to think he was not there for her. The very thought seemed to suck all life out of him.

"Dumbledore told me and the rest of the Marauders about Lily," he said quietly. "He apparently doesn't know we're on non-speaking terms. Sirius and Peter just brushed it off." James ignored him. There was a long silence where no one spoke. The wind just rustled James's hair and he heard Remus sigh.

"James, I think we need to talk," said Remus, though he sounded very unsure of himself.

"About what?"

"About you…about Lily…"

"What's there to talk about?" James asked casually, turning to face his old friend. "She's the best person I know. I'm in love her, Remus." Remus sighed in disappointment: disappointment with himself and the rest of his friends for doing what they had done to both Lily and James. Remus placed a hand on James's shoulder and shook it lightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and he sounded sorry, "I was just afraid. I…I didn't understand." James gave a weak grin at him and punched him lightly and playfully in the stomach.

"Hey," James said quietly, "don't worry about it…Moony…" Remus smiled at him and the two did their infamous Marauder handshake.

* * *

Remus walked into the Great Hall for dinner that night and saw Sirius and Peter sitting at the Gryffindor table. Sirius was kissing Fiona as Peter and Achelle talked casually. Remus took a deep breath and plopped into the empty seat next to Sirius.

"Where have you been, Moony?" Sirius asked as Fiona positioned herself in his lap.

"I was talking to James, actually," Remus answered truthfully and without hesitation as he loaded food on to his plate. Sirius, Peter, Achelle, and Fiona all looked at him as though he had lobsters crawling out of his ears.

"Erm…Fiona…why don't you and Achelle head up to Gryffindor Tower. We'll meet you there," Sirius suggested slowly, not taking his eyes off of Remus. Fiona nodded and dragged a protesting Achelle out of the Great Hall. Sirius and Peter turned to Remus furiously.

"You were _what_?" hissed Sirius, once the girls were out of earshot. Remus narrowed his eyes at him.

"I was talking to James," he said coolly and much more slowly so Sirius and Peter could hear him better this time. Sirius glared at him and opened his mouth to retort but Remus interrupted him: "Don't give me your bullocks Sirius! Maybe you haven't realized it yet because you're too stupid to see it, but Prongs is in love with Lily Evans. He truly loves her! And, the girl is the Heir of Gryffindor and You-Know-Who has kidnapped her! James is miserable, Sirius. He needs friends; he needs us! And, if you're the person who has been friends with him since you two were kids, and you're his true friend, then you'll go find him and work things out with him!"

"But, Moon-"

"Don't you 'Moony' me!" Remus yelled, slamming his fist down on the table. "You know what I think, Sirius? I think you're scared of Lily!"

"Why would I be scared of Lily Evans?" Sirius asked dryly, though he refused to meet Remus's eye.

"Because you know she is the only woman in this world that can take your best friend away." Remus said quietly, though glaring dangerously at his friend. "You know that James had fallen in love and you got scared about losing your best friend. So instead of having your best friend taken away, you pushed him away."

"I..." Sirius took a deep breath. "I just hate how one girl could ruin fifteen years of friendship."

"Was it Lily who ruined your friendship with James," asked Remus, "or was it you?" Sirius's eyes widened and he dashed out of the Great Hall as fast as he could without another word. Remus smiled to himself and looked at Peter.

"The same goes for you too, Wormtail," he said. Peter nodded.

"I'll talk to him later," said Peter. "I think James and Sirius need to sort things out on their own for now."

"I agree!"

* * *

Sirius was running as fast as he could towards Gryffindor Tower thinking about what a complete arse he had been to his best friend. As he ran, he bumped into something, or rather someone and ironically, it was James.

"James!"

"Sirius..." James said slowly. The two both looked at each other for a minute. Truth be told, Sirius did not know what to say to his old best friend. He had rehearsed it in his head but now that James was standing in front of him, he had been rendered speechless. But when he finally got a good look at his friend, he felt his world shatter. He had never seen James look so lost and hopeless; he looked even worse than he did when his father had left him and his mother and sister. All he wanted to do was embrace his best friend and be there for him. But, he knew that there was only one way to do it; Sirius knew he had to apologize. And not just to James; he had to apologize to Lily as well. Because once Lily came back, Sirius would no longer be James's best friend…she would be. Is that not why he had ruined his friendship with James in the first place; because of that fear?

"I talked to Remus," said Sirius simply.

"Did you?" James asked tonelessly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…and I'm sorry, James," said Sirius sincerely, looking down at his feet, clearly ashamed over his actions. "I…I was just worried that some girl would come between us and steal my best friend."

"Stuff like that never bothered you when I was dating Achelle," said James, raising another eyebrow.

"Well yeah, because I knew you and Achelle were never going to last. Just like I know that Fiona and I are never going to last," said Sirius honestly. James stared. "They're not the types of girls that we're going to fall in love with. But, I…I knew Lily was different; I knew she was special to you. I saw the way you looked at her and the way your eyes lit up when she walked into a room. It scared me, James. I was losing my best friend to a girl."

"Sirius, you're only going to lose me as a friend is if you keep acting like an arse; like the way you did when making the flyers of Lily," said James truthfully. Sirius took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face.

"I don't know what else to say except that I'm sorry," whispered Sirius helplessly. James grinned weakly and patted his best friend on the back.

"That's all you needed to say, Padfoot."

Sirius smiled at his best friend, did the infamous Marauder handshake, and shared a brotherly hug.

* * *

A few weeks went by and James had made up with all of the Marauders; Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Fiona had broken up with Sirius for making up with James, so the Marauders and Fiona and Achelle were no longer on speaking terms, which had become something of a relief to the boys. The girls had grown to be more of a thorn in their side then an asset.

As the owl post arrived, James ate his breakfast, all depressed as usual. But, he had to admit that it was a whole lot better going through this with his friends at his side rather than alone, but it still was not easy thinking of Lily and whether she was dead or alive. He was so absorbed in his depression that he did not notice letters arrive for both Professor Starkson and Dumbledore. Starkson raced out of the Great Hall as Dumbledore immediately strode towards James.

"James," he said, standing in front of James at the Gryffindor table. James looked up at into the Headmaster's bright blue eyes. To James's immense surprise, Dumbledore had a huge smile on his face and his blue eyes were twinkling once again. James raised a confused eyebrow. "James, they found Lily. She's alive."

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Woot woot to another revised chapter! I know this didn't happen in the movie or in the book but in the movie and book instead of getting kidnapped, she gets really sick...and since she's not sick I had to think of something else. I hope you have enjoyed the changes so far. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed; they mean a great deal. Please keep reading and enjoying and don't forget to keep reviewing


	9. Tough Times

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Tough Times:**

"What?" James asked quietly, hardly daring to believe Dumbledore's words. He started shaking and trembling severely and he was not sure if it was because of nervousness, fear, or excitement. Sirius noticed and shook James's shoulder roughly, but gently.

"James, she's alive," whispered Sirius excitedly.

"The found Lily, James" Dumbledore repeated. "She's alive." James gave a disbelieving, but an extremely happy laugh and shouted with joy. He fell out of his seat, causing Sirius, Remus, and Peter to laugh.

"Where is she?" asked James anxiously and urgently.

"She's being taken to St. Mungo's but-" Dumbledore could not finish his sentence because James had jumped out of his seat and sprinted out of the Great Hall, still laughing disbelievingly. Sirius, Remus, and Peter's eyes widened as they all stared at one another completely astonished. James was always a very fast runner, but no one knew he could ever run that fast. Dumbledore smiled, with the usual twinkle in his eyes again.

"Who wants to bet that he's on his broomstick right now heading to St Mungo's illegally?" asked Dumbledore smiling. The three Marauders could not help but laugh because they knew that was exactly what was happening.

* * *

James did not know or care how fast he was flying through the sky in broad daylight. He did not even care that he was completely breaking wizarding law and the Muggles could probably see him right now. The only thing that mattered to him was getting to Lily; his Lily. He wanted to cry with joy as he flew. Truthfully, he had never been so happy or so relieved in all of his life.

As James approached the waiting room of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries he saw a group of Aurors, doctors, and nurses carrying a stretcher towards the door of Intensive Care Unit. James's eyes widened and he pushed through the men without a word; his eyes set on the stretcher.

"Hey, boy," one of the Aurors shouted as he grabbed James's arm, "you can't go in there." James turned around at the man, kicked him below the belt and ran towards the stretcher. And what he saw, half of him wished he had never looked in the first place.

Lily looked almost dead. She had black and blue all over her face, arms, and legs. Blood was coming from a large cut that had formed on her upper lip, and arm was in a sickening position; it was definitely broken. Her breathing was shallow and slow. In short, she looked like she was actually dying.

Lily had been brutally tortured.

All of the relief that had entered James when Dumbledore told him that Lily was alive had been replaced with concern, fear, worry, and anger. Oh, the anger was spreading through James like poison, a dangerous poison. No one had the right to hurt Lily like that, no one! James swore to himself that he would never let anyone lay a hand on her again. He pushed past the doctors and nurses as he looked down a Lily's injured and bloodied form. Everyone was just staring at him. He was so concerned over Lily's health that he did not notice that Parker Starkson had arrived and had told the Aurors to leave James alone and let him see Lily.

James kneeled beside the stretcher and gently stroked Lily's hand, careful not to hurt it in case it was broken or anything. He did not need to cause any more pain than she was already in. Once again, tears formed in James's eyes as he stared at his Lily in such pain. As he gently patted Lily's hand, her eyes slowly fluttered open and he finally got a glance at this beautiful emerald depths. He almost sighed at the sight of them as she looked around urgently for a second. Her gaze slowly turned on James and she gave him the best smile she could.

"James," she whispered. James put his finger to her lips, though careful not to touch the cut. No matter how desperate he was to touch her again, he did not want to hurt Lily no matter what.

"Shhh…don't talk, Lily," he whispered gently. "You need your strength."

"James, please thank your father for me," she whispered before completely passing out again. The nurse and doctors pushed James and Starkson away as the Aurors picked up the stretcher and carried it into the Intensive Care Unit before closing the door, leaving both James and Starkson outside. James dwelled on what Lily had said before turning to her uncle

"What did she mean by that?" James snapped. "Why does she want me to thank my father?" He did not mean to sound so rude, but thinking about his father always made James extremely bitter and angry. Starkson looked at him startled over his attitude, but then smiled knowingly.

"Your father was looking for you. He was the one who personally went to Voldemort's hide-out and got Lily out. He said she nearly died there," explained Starkson, thankful tears dwelling in his own eyes. "He's a good man Jame, despite the mistake he had made."

James looked at the ground for a minute before running out of the hospital and hopping back on to his broomstick. But, he was not going back to Hogwarts.

* * *

James looked at the large, mansion like manor in Godric's Hollow. He stared at it before getting off of his broomstick and slowly walking towards the large, oak doors. James hesitated for a second, and then knocked gently.

* * *

Reginald Potter slowly ate his dinner as he watched his wife, Nicolette slowly fill her bowl with thick, steaming, hot soup. Reginald was politely chewing on his chicken and reading the Daily Prophet when he heard a stern, but gentle knock at the door.

"Reg, could you get that please?"

"Sure Nicolette," he said as he stood up and answered the door, silently wishing that they had a house elf for this kind of thing.

When he answered the door, he expected to see some Daily Prophet reporter wanting to question him about his latest mission or someone from the Department of Law Enforcement wanting his finished paperwork right away. But, whom he saw standing there completely startled him, nearly knocking the breath out of him. It was a tall, skinny boy with extremely messy jet-black hair. He had his back turned from the door and his hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

"James?" Reginald called out timidly. The boy turned around and Reginald was disturbed to see that his son's eyes were red and puffy, with tears streaming down his cheeks. James let out a quiet sob and looked at his father square in the eyes.

"Th-thank you," James managed to stutter and whisper through his sons. Reginald did not have to ask for what; he knew what he was talking about and why his son was thanking him. He was thanking him for saving Lily Evans.

Reginald would be the first to admit that he was never there for James; never. Even when he and James's mother were still together, he was always working and breaking promises to his son. He hardly ever spent time with him. Reginald was ashamed to acknowledge this, but his son grew up without a father. He had a biological father who would send him money and gifts but James did not know what it was like to have a man around to look up to, go to Quidditch matches with, and or to just have a conversation with. And the worst part was that even when Reginald did have the time, James had become so angry and bitter towards him, that he wanted nothing to do with him.

But when James came to him about his girlfriend being kidnapped by Voldemort, Reginald knew that he had to do something. Normally, he would have ignored it and left it in the hands of the Ministry. But, he saw that look in James's eyes. He saw that his son was lost and alone without this girl and Reginald knew that this girl made him happy and if she died, James would never be the same again. He knew that this was his chance to try and be the father he never was for James before; to make it up to him; to make his son happy. And if the survival if and the love from this girl was what James needed to be happy, then Reginald was going to make sure that he gave it to him. If he could not make his son happy, at least this girl could.

"You're welcome son," said Reginald, taking a step towards his son. James looked at the ground, tears still streaming down his face. Finally, he put his face into his hands and began to sob hysterically. His shoulders were shaking almost violently.

Reginald did not know what to do. He just stared at his son for a minute before taking a step forward and patting James on the shoulder. But James needed more than that; more from his father. Without realizing or thinking about what he was doing, James pulled his father into a tight embrace and began to sob again, except into his shoulder. Reginald was startled at first, but gladly returned the hug. It was the first time since he was a little boy that James hugged him and he was determined to savor it.

"I can't lose her, dad," James sobbed hysterically into his father's shoulder. Reginald patted and rubbed the boy's back soothingly. "She would have been dead if it weren't for you!"

"It was no problem, son," said Reginald, even though that was a lie. He had to go through many hardships and obstacles to get that girl back safely.

"I'm sorry, dad, I'm so sorry," James continued to cry. Reginald thought for a moment before responding:

"I'm sorry too…"

* * *

Three days later, James was finally allowed to see Lily. He timidly opened the door to her private room in the hospital and entered with the rest of the Marauders behind him.

James smiled as he walked in and saw Lily, who was sleeping in her bed peacefully. She looked a lot better than she had three days ago. Her bruises were all gone, though her arm was still in a sling and the cut on her upper lip was gone. Despite all of this, she looked very weak and not very healthy. James walked in and, without hesitation, pulled up a seat right next to her bed. The rest of the Marauders stood awkwardly at the door, though James did not seem to notice or care.

James was gently stroking Lily's hair and smiling tenderly. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, causing her to stir and for her eyes to flutter open. She beamed when she saw James smiling down at her.

"James!"

"Hey there Lily," he said as he kissed her forehead. He turned around, looked at his friends, and ushered for them to come inside. But, only Sirius fully entered. Lily finally took notice of them and shifted very uncomfortably in her bed. James caught her eye and gently took a hold of her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Erm, Lily?" Sirius started awkwardly. "We wanted you to know that we're sorry for everything we've ever done to you. We were…we were complete gits."

"And immature morons," added Remus, finally coming inside to stand beside Sirius.

"And, we're sorry," quipped up Peter, as he also took a step into the hospital room.

Lily stared at them for a minute, squeezing James's hand.

"You really hurt me," she whispered to the three Marauders. Sirius, Remus, and Peter all looked down at the ground in shame. "But, two wrongs don't make a right, I suppose" she continued smiling. The three boys looked up at her and smiled.

"You forgive us?" Sirius and Remus asked in unison. Lily chuckled and smiled brightly and sweetly at them.

"Of course I forgive you," she said. "I know how important you three are to James. Therefore, that makes you important to me too." The three boys smiled proudly as James beamed back at them. He knew that they would come around eventually and see what a special and wonderful girl Lily was. And now they had.

"Well, I think James and Lily want to be alone," said Remus, nudging both Sirius and Peter playfully. James and Lily smiled gratefully at him. Remus waved to them and dragged Peter out of the hospital wing. But Sirius ignored Remus and continued to just stare at Lily. James raised a curious eyebrow at his friend.

"Lily?" Sirius said as he walked over to stand beside her bed. He bent down so he was eye level with her. Lily just looked at him wide-eyed, as though fearful about what he might do. "James was right. You really are a special person. He is one lucky guy to have you." With that Sirius kissed Lily on the cheek, winked at James, and walked out of the hospital wing. Lily smiled and James just shrugged.

For several minutes, the two sat in silence, just holding each other's hand, waiting for the other to speak first.

"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, finally breaking the silence. James looked at her startled.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"I should have told you sooner," she admitted. James shook his head.

"No, don't blame yourself for this. It's my fault, Lily," he said, feeling ashamed with himself. "I put you in jeopardy so many times. We left the grounds, we went into the Forbidden Forest, we-"

"

"James, please stop this," said Lily, interrupting him. "If anything, you kept me alive." She took his face into her hands and turned his head so he looked straight at her. She smiled. "You loved me, and that's what made me fight Voldemort's wrath. Just knowing that you were out there somewhere and that you loved me kept me going, helped me keep my strength. Loving you let me live." James nodded and tried to keep the tears from falling.

"Are you scared?" he finally asked after several more moments of silence. He expected Lily to be the brave Gryffindor that she was and say 'no,' but she did no such thing.

"…to death…" she said quietly, smiling as she tried to lighten up the mood. James could not take it anymore. He left her gaze and turned to look at the wall as the tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks. "Oh, James, lighten up. It's not like I'm dying here."

"It's not funny," he snarled as he turned to look at her. Lily's own eyes welled up with tears as she saw the intensity in those hazel depths.

"You know what truly scares me, James?" Lily asked quietly, now looking down at their entwined hands. James nodded, showing her that he was listening. "I'm scared of having to leave you because all of this brings you into danger. I'm scared that you won't want to be with me anymore…"

"Lily," said James very sternly, though his voice was cracking. "That will never happen." With that, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to him. Lily rested her head against James's chest and cried. James placed his chin on the top of her head and gently patted her hair.

"I'll be here," he whispered, "I'll always be here."

Lily nodded and sighed, her head still pressed against his chest.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. I know that this may have been a boring chapter for most but I hope that it was at least a little fluffy and that the revisions made it better. Thanks to those who have reviewed and please keep reading and enjoying! The reviews are greatly appreciated!


	10. The List

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 10 – The List:**

Lily was still in the hospital wing with her uncle and Dumbledore, telling them about her horrible experience. James could not bear to sit there and listen to her ordeal so he instead sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, on a sofa with his elbows on his knees and staring into the fire mindlessly. Peter and Remus were playing a quiet game of chess as Sirius tried talking to James; hoping to break him out of his trance.

"C'mon Prongs," said Sirius. "You haven't said anything in the last two hours. What's wrong with you?"

"I just…I just can't help thinking…the worst. I mean, what happens if he gets her?" James asked, running a nervous hand through his hair and then down his face in a stressful manner. Remus and Peter looked at each other and shrugged because only Sirius had heard his question and concern.

"What do you mean?"

"What happens if Voldemort gets her?"

"You'd never let that happen."

"I did last time," James muttered darkly.

"Well, you were in shock! You had just found out that Lily was the Heir of Gryffindor, that Voldemort was after her, and she almost ended the relationship with you," said Sirius reasonably, shaking James's shoulder comfortingly. Suddenly, James's eyes widened and that familiar mischievous glint came back into them. He grinned and Sirius grinned back, happy to see that look in his best friend's eyes.

"Padfoot, can you do something for me?" James asked earnestly.

"Sure, anything," answered Sirius. With that, James whispered something quietly into Sirius's ear. Sirius also grinned and nodded. James summoned his Invisibility Cloak and gave it to Sirius. Sirius put it on and ran out of the Common Room and out of sight. James waited a moment before following his best friend by running out of the Common Room. Meanwhile, Remus and Peter just stared at each other in bewilderment.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" snapped Peter, staring after Sirius and James long after they ran through the Portrait Hole. Remus shrugged casually and made a move on the chessboard.

"You know those two," started Remus nonchalantly, "they're always in their own little world. Why? Do you feel left out? Check."

Peter shook his head as he glared at the Portrait Hole that his two friends disappeared. Actually, it did make him feel left out and it angered him every single time.

* * *

James ran out of the Portrait Hole, down the corridors of Hogwarts getting several scorns and comments from passing professors about his running and he did not seem to hear them; or he chose to ignore them. Instead, James just ran straight to his sister's office. Skidding in front of the office door, he knocked on the door anxiously.

"Yes? Please, come in." came Anna's sweet voice from behind the wood. James opened the door and closed it behind him. Anna was sitting at her desk reading a book. She looked up at her younger brother and smiled.

"Hey Jimmy," she said smiling. "What's up?"

"Annie, could you do me a favor?" James asked slowly, his hands in the pockets of his robes, suddenly looking shy and unsure of himself. Anna nodded slowly. "Could you teach me how to dance?"

* * *

Three hours later, Anna had earned swollen toes and her feet were hurting like crazy. It took enough time and hours, but James finally had the steps down path could not stop thanking Anna. Despite the pain in her feet, it had been no problem for Anna.

After the dance lesson, James ran from his sister's office and towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He stumbled quickly from running so fast in through the Portrait Hole and saw Sirius sitting on the sofa with a large bag in his hands and lap. James grinned.

"Did you get it…?"

"I got just what you asked for," said Sirius handing James the large bag. James looked inside it and smiled brightly.

"Thanks Padfoot," he said grinning at his best friend. Sirius just nodded, silently telling James that it was no big deal, and that he too was going to make it up to Lily. "Let's go set up the Astronomy Tower..."

* * *

By the time James and Sirius finished fixing up the Astronomy Tower, it was almost dawn. Sirius went back to the Common Room for some much needed sleep as James headed straight off to the hospital wing. Quietly tip toeing, so not to wake the school nurse, he snuck in and sat beside Lily's bed.

Lily was sleeping peacefully, as though she did not have a care in the world. He smiled at the thought, as he watched her sleep. He waited several minutes, perfectly content on watching her and letting dream in her blissful oblivion; where they were was no Voldemort out there to hurt her. When he was unable to interrupt her serenity, James simply kissed her forehead as he placed the bag beside her bed with a note inside of it before sneaking back out and back to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

The next morning, Lily's emerald green eyes fluttered open and she yawned and stretched, raising her arms high over her head, letting out a tired yawn and sigh. She noticed that the school nurse had not yet woken up and decided to go to the window for some fresh air for a chance. Lily was simply tired from being confined to her bed and knew herself well enough to know she was okay to at least walk to the window and open it. As she threw off her covers and her legs over the bed, her feet hit a bag. She looked down curiously and with a raised eyebrow picked it up. There was a package inside with a note that said;

_Lily,_

_Please meet me at the Astronomy Tower at 6:00PM tonight. And please wear this too…if you like it, that is._

_I love you.  
__  
Love always,  
James_

Lily raised another curious eyebrow. She knew what couples did in the Astronomy Tower on a Saturday night after dark. Why did James want to meet her there?

Instead of pondering it, Lily simply shrugged and decided that she would meet him because she knew that trusted him with all her heart and soul and James would never do anything to abuse that trust. Folding the note back up, she timidly put it back in the bag and took at the package and could not help but smile when she saw what it was.

It was long, silky, white gown that was her exact size that strongly resembled the dress she wore the night of the Spring Play, except this one had beading on it that made the dress resemble a colorful pearl fresh out of its oyster. It was simply the most beautiful dress that Lily had ever seen. She smiled and folded the dress and before putting it back into the bag.

Instead of going to the window for fresh air, Lily lay back in bed and curled into a ball, smiling and hugging her pillow. She could not wait to meet James later tonight.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Lily managed to convince her uncle to let her out for the night. Starkson was just so happy that Lily was alive and he had come to trust James so much that he granted her request without really thinking about it.

A half an hour before 6:00PM; the time she was supposed to meet James in the Astronomy Tower; she grabbed the bag and ran into the nearest bathroom. She slipped on the dress, which fit her perfectly and hugged all of the curves that she did not even knew she had. She took her hair out of the bun she was wearing and let it hang loosely around her shoulders in waves, just the way James had always liked it. Then, Lily washed her face and applied some make-up to bring out her emerald green eyes, make her cheeks rosy, and make her lips soft and glossy. When Lily was satisfied with her appearance, she smiled and quietly and slowly walked up to the Astronomy Tower.

Lily cautiously and timidly opened the door. There was nothing inside and she did not see James anyway. The only thing she noticed that was out of place was that the window was opened and the sun was setting in the distance. She took a deep breath and started walking over to the window, still desperately wanting some fresh air. Before she reached the window, someone had wrapped their arms around her and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Hey you," said a familiar voice. Lily smiled and turned her head to see James smiling down at her. "You look absolutely beautiful." Lily bit her lip and smiled.

"Thank you. And thank you for the dress," whispered Lily, taking a step back and showing him the full result. "I love it."

"And I love you." James grabbed her hand and pulled towards him again before kissing her lightly and smiling.

"So, what are we doing here exactly?" Lily asked as she looked around the tower curiously. James's grin widened and that familiar twinkle was in his eyes warm hazel eyes once again. Lily's stomach turned; she knew she was in for another one of James's romantic adventures.

"James, what are you up to?" asked Lily slowly, as though afraid of the answer.

"Follow me," was all he said as he took Lily's hand and dragged her towards the window. He stood on to the ledge and brought Lily up with him.

"Would you be able to climb up there?" James asked, pointing to the top of the highest flat on the Hogwarts castle. Lily looked up and studied it.

"If you give me a boost," she said. James gave Lily the boost that she needed and she climbed on to the flat above the Astronomy Tower, followed closely by James. Lily turned around to look at the view and gasped. There was the shimmering Great Lake, with the sun setting in the background. The sky was a sailor's sunset; swirling in colors of red, purple, pink, orange, and gold. It resembled a roaring fire that was too much to look at. As she stared in awe at the scene before her, James climbed up and stood next to her, putting his arm around her.

"Do you like it?" asked James, looking directly into Lily's face as she watched the sunset. Lily's mouth was still open in awe and her eyes were wide with wonder. She nodded slowly, breathlessly, but never commented. She did not need to comment; the look on her face was enough.

James pulled her closer to him and she rested her head on his shoulder. They just watched as the sun settled slowly behind the Great Lake, followed closely behind a white marble crescent moon. Soon, darkness blanketed the sky as the stars glowed like glitter on a dark, blue blanket. James grinned and took out his wand. As he did this Lily looked at him curiously and raised an eyebrow.

"I swear, you're a mystery, James Potter," said Lily teasingly. "What are you up to now?"

James ignored her question, flicked his wand, and a light music came on. He turned to Lily still smiling brightly; standing up, he extended his hand to her.

"One of the things on your life to-do list was to dance on the tallest tower of Hogwarts under the stars," he said slowly. "So, would you like to dance?" Lily smiled.

"I'd love to," she said quietly as she took James's extended hand. James wrapped one arm around her waist and took the other tightly in his hand. Lily placed her free arm around his neck and the two gazed into each other's eyes as the soft music and song played softly in the background.

James was very proud of himself for perfecting the simple waltz that Anna had taught him; no matter what cost to her feet. Lily beamed at how much he was doing for her. He truly was making all of her dreams come true. It seemed as though James was determined to help her complete her life to-do list; to make her happy.

James twirled Lily around and then caught her in his arms again. As she spun, she filled the sparkling night sky with pleasant laughter. Her laughter was like a perfect symphony to James's ears and he would do anything to hear that music of Lily's laughter.

James twirled Lily again and this time he wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned against him, the back of her head resting on his shoulder. They slowly and lovingly rocked back and forth in this position.

Having no desire to move from their current position, Lily and James just held on to each other closely and tightly and rocked slowly back and forth, listening to the soft music and lyrics of the song. Lily still had her eyes closed and she sighed, knowing she could never be happier than when she was than when she was in James's arms.

James gently bent down to Lily's ear and kissed it softly before nuzzling her neck and resting his face on her shoulder. The two of them just swayed like that, never wanting to move, as they danced their own dance on the tallest tower of Hogwarts under the glistening stars.

* * *

Sirius ran up to the seventh year boy's dormitories and rushed to get into the shower after such a tiresome day; classes, Quidditch practice, and Fiona would not stop breathing down his neck. Now he understood why James could not stand Achelle chasing after him after they had broken off.

As Sirius locked the door behind him, he turned around and saw James sitting on the floor in the middle of the room working on the telescope he had been working on for the past couple of weeks. Sirius never asked what it was about, or what it was for, but curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Prongs, why in the bloody hell are you making a Muggle telescope?" asked Sirius incredulously and disbelievingly. "It looks like you built it from scratch."

"I did," James simply stated as he continued to work on it diligently. "It's for Lily. She needs a bigger one than the one she has in order to see Halley's Comet. It comes around only every sixty-five years or so it's is supposed to be passing Earth this spring. I want to make sure Lily sees it."

"So, you're making this telescope so she can see this comet?" asked Sirius slowly, as though trying to comprehend what James was saying. James nodded, not looking up as he continued working on the telescope.

"Yeah," he said simply. Sirius chuckled.

"You'd really do anything for her, wouldn't you, Prongs?"

"Yeah, I would," said James. Sirius stopped chuckling for a moment because he had never heard James sound so serious and sincere about something.

"You really do love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," said James again, his voice trailing off. There was a long pause and Sirius knew that James had something on his mind and needed to talk about it.

"Something on your mind, Prongs?"

"Padfoot, I've got to tell you something. Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

James took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do and no matter how difficult it may be for the both of them, he knew that it had to be done. So, fully understanding and acknowledging this, James timidly, yet bravely knocked on Professor Starkson's office door. He heard the deep stern voice from the other side of the word, urging him to enter.

"Mr. Potter?" Starkson called out in surprise, but he sounded pleased to see the boy. "This is an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you today?" He had been a lot kinder to James ever since Lily's kidnap. James had earned his trust and he finally understood how much James loved Lily. But, everyone knew that did not change the fact that he was still very overprotective of his niece.

James took a deep, nervous breath and told the Professor what was on his mind and what needed to be done; what he wanted to do about. James felt like he made the entire speech in one breath and when he was done, he needed to catch it. He could even feel the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

After James's little speech, Parker Starkson seemed to be in deep thought as tears sprung to his eyes. He began to shake involuntarily and violently at the very thought of all of this happening. Starkson knew that he did not want to let go, but he knew he had to; he knew deep down that it was for the best. Then, Parker Starkson let go by slowly turning his head towards James and nodding.

* * *

Lily was sleeping peacefully in her warm comfortable bed up in Gryffindor Tower. She sighed and snuggled into the soft mattress, pulling the dark red blankets closer to her to get warmer. Suddenly, she felt somebody's lips press against her forehead.

"Lily, wake up," Lily heard James's voice whisper. Lily yawned and opened her eyes.

"What?" she whined in a tired voice. This was her first night back in her own bed in Gryffindor Tower and she just wanted to enjoy it. But, at the same time, she could not be more delighted to see her boyfriend and James knew that because he simply chuckled over her supposed annoyed attitude.

"You need to wake up. I've got something for you," he whispered excitedly. Lily sighed inwardly. She was thankful enough for all that James had done for her. She did not need more; she just needed his love.

'Why is he so good to me?' she asked herself, wondering what she ever did to deserve someone as wonderful as James Potter.

Lily reluctantly got out of her warm bed and slipped next to James under his Invisibility Cloak, where they headed off to the Astronomy Tower. When they got there, James took off the cloak and smiled.

"Surprise!"

Lily gasped.

He had built her a Muggle telescope. It was the exact telescope that she needed to see Halley's Comet. She looked at James wide-eyed, her eyes filled with joy and happiness.

"Oh, James!" she cried as she threw her arms around him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He hugged her back and gave her a gentle and playful shove towards the telescope.

"Go take a look," he whispered. "Halley's Comet is supposed to be passing tonight." Lily nodded in excitement, resembling a small child on Christmas morning and dashed over to look into the telescope. She waited patiently for the comet to flash across the sky. After several minutes of observing the stars and planets with her new telescope, she saw it. There it was; soaring across the sky, like a dust of light.

She gasped with joy and awe.

"James, come look!" she said in an awed voice. James walked over as Lily moved aside to let him look. James wrapped his arm around Lily's waist as he looked into the telescope. He also saw the comet soar in the sky. He chuckled and grinned.

"Hey, that is pretty cool," he said, still chuckling. He pulled away from the telescope and turned to Lily and smiled at her. She was wearing a long pale blue flannel nightgown and a navy blue robe. There were little fuzzy slippers covering her feet and her long red hair was flowing down her back just the way he had always liked it, though it was still very tangled from sleeping. James decided in that moment that he had never seen anything as beautiful as Lily. In his opinion, even something as rare and as beautiful Halley's Comet did not compare to her.

"Do you want to sit down?" asked James, suddenly sounding nervous as he gestured towards the thick ledge of the window. Lily nodded and smiled as he her towards the window. They both sat down on the ledge and looked up into the night sky. James, without thinking about it, because it always happened so natural, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stared down at her face.

"Lily?"

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?"

Lily and turned to James and smiled.

"Of course," she whispered. James faced her and took her hand in his.

"Will you do something for me then?"

"Anything," said Lily without hesitation. James smiled brightly and got off of the ledge, turning Lily so that she was facing inside of the Astronomy rather than outside on the grounds. When she was situated, James got down on one knee in front of Lily before taking out a small velvet box. Lily stared at it wide-eyed as he opened it and revealed a small and simple, but beautiful diamond ring.

"Will you marry me?"

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. SPOILERS AHEAD! Just so my readers know Landon and Jamie do get married in the book and movie. I did not add this scene simply because James and Lily get married in the Harry Potter series. I just wanted to clarify. END OF SPOILER! Well, I hope everyone likes the story and the revisions so far! Please don't forget to review and a big THANK YOU to those who have! Keep reading and enjoying!


	11. A Definition of Love

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 11 – A Definition of Love:**

"Lily?"

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?"

Lily and turned to James and smiled.

"Of course," she whispered. James faced her and took her hand in his.

"Will you do something for me then?"

"Anything," said Lily without hesitation. James smiled brightly and got off of the ledge, turning Lily so that she was facing inside of the Astronomy rather than outside on the grounds. When she was situated, James got down on one knee in front of Lily before taking out a small velvet box. Lily stared at it wide-eyed as he opened it and revealed a small and simple, but beautiful diamond ring.

"Will you marry me?"

Lily stared openly at the engagement ring as her eyes welled up with tears of pure joy. A smile slowly worked its way across her face as she leaned in and kissed James very lightly on the lips. James hesitantly kissed her back, still waiting for an answer.

"Yes," she whispered, when she pulled away from the kiss. She had whispered it so quietly that James was surprised that he had even heard it. He beamed as he took the ring and slipped it on to Lily's finger before pulling her into a tight, warm embrace and kissed her lovingly and passionately.

* * *

"Sirius, Remus, Peter?" James called when he got into the Gryffindor Common Room. The three Marauders, who were having a three man duel, looked up at James. Sirius smiled knowingly, as his best friend had told him of his plans all along. Remus and Peter on the other hand, looked at their friend curiously. "I need to tell you guys something."

"Go ahead Prongs," said Remus, "we're listening."

"Not here," he said, indicating the crowded Common Room. "Follow me." Using his head, he gestured towards the Portrait Hole. Remus and Peter just looked at each other and shrugged, but followed James. Sirius chuckled to himself and still kept the knowing smile on his face as he followed his friends through the corridors.

The Marauders all headed down to Parker Starkson's office. To their surprise, when they approached it, James did not even knock, he just opened the door like he and Professor Starkson were best friends. Sirius,

Remus, and Peter noticed that Lily, Anna Potter, Reginald Potter, Parker Starkson, and Professor Dumbledore were all inside, waiting patiently. Lily was smiling brightly; simply glowing. She saw James and walked over to him. James wrapped his arm around and the two turned to face everybody.

"Lily and I have something to tell you all," said James slowly, "it's something important."

"What is it?" Anna asked curiously.

"We're engaged," said Lily as she held out her hand to show everyone her stunning, but simple ring. Sirius's grinned widened. Starkson smiled, but he had tears in his eyes. He knew this had been coming since James had personally come to his office to ask his permission for Lily's hand in marriage. Reginald just smiled at his son, clearly proud of his choice. Anna squealed with delight and beamed. Remus and Peter's eyes widened but they smiled. The only one who did not seem happy about this up and coming union; he looked tired and grave.

"Congratulations!" Anna shouted as she pulled the two teenagers into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you two!"

"If I may interrupt," said Dumbledore sternly, "I would like to see the James, Parker, Lily, Anna, and Reginald in my office immediately please." The five nodded and left Sirius, Remus, and Peter inside Starkson's office as they quickly began arguing over who would be James's best man.

Once they were safe in the confines of Dumbledore's office, he sat down at his desk and looked directly at James, ignoring everyone else in the room. "James, let me start off by saying that I hope you understand what you're getting yourself and your family into," said Dumbledore, looking somber. Lily, realizing what the Headmaster was saying, looked down at the floor, as though she were ashamed of the topic that Dumbledore brought up. And strictly speaking, she was ashamed. She did not want to put James into danger any more than Dumbledore did but she loved him. What else was she supposed to do? James, on the other hand, felt rather annoyed at his Headmaster for bringing this up.

"I understand, Professor," said James angrily, though trying to sound as respectful as possible. To prove his point, he put his arm firmly around Lily. "I understand and I don't care! I love Lily and that's all that matters!" Lily looked from the floor and up at James with gratitude in her eyes.

"You are aware that she has to go into hiding right after Hogwarts?" asked Dumbledore, still remaining somber. Once again, Lily looked down at the floor and gave a dry sob.

"Yes I am," said James, "and I'm going into hiding with her!"

"You are?" everyone in the room asked in unison.

"Of course I am," said James, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I've got enough money from dad to stay comfortable for the rest of our lives, so I don't really need a big job. I also understand that if I marry Lily, Voldemort will most likely be after me and want me dead too! But, I don't really care. I'd rather die with Lily than spend a thousand lives without her."

Lily had some tears in her eyes and she threw her arms around James and hugged him tightly, silently thanking him for his words and what he was sacrificing for her. James closed his eyes and rocked her back and forth in his arms, silently telling her that she was worth every word and sacrifice.

"What about Anna and your parents?" Dumbledore asked, still sounding grave. In fact, the Headmaster's words and attitude were starting to annoy everyone else in the room as well. Anna and Starkson were both glaring at the elder man and Reginald was shaking his head. "If James marries Lily, he'll not only want James dead; he'll be after all of the Potters."

"With all due respect, Professor Dumbledore, I can take care of myself," said Anna, stepping up and staring hard at the Headmaster. "So can my parents."

"Besides, James's mother and I want our son to be happy," said Reginald, his eyes twinkling as he looked at his son and his future daughter-in-law.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his temples. "I sense disaster but as long as you all know what you're putting yourselves into…"

James looked to his older sister, then at his father, then at Professor Starkson. They all nodded their encouragement and James turned back to his Headmaster.

"We understand, and I still am going to marry Lily…"

* * *

"Sirius Black!"

Sirius jumped out of his seat and ran towards Professor Dumbledore, who was standing at the podium in his most extravagant robes, and he handed Sirius his diploma. He waved at the audience and bowed before taking his seat. Several of the students laughed heartedly at Sirius's actions before he returned to his seat.

A few more names were called…

"Lily Evans!"

Lily slowly and proudly walked up to Professor Dumbledore where he had her diploma waiting for her. He handed it to her and shook her hand proudly. Lily smiled and returned to her seat. Parker Starkson had tears in his eyes and was applauding the loudest. As Lily walked by she felt James reach out from his seat, grab her hand, and squeezed it quickly and reassuringly.

Quite a few more names were called…

"Remus Lupin!"

Remus beamed proudly and accepted his diploma. He saw his mother in the audience and she was sobbing, especially since Remus's father had walked out on them after Remus got bitten by the werewolf. They did not think that this day would ever come for Remus and they were happy that Dumbledore had given him this opportunity.

Even more names were called…

"Peter Pettigrew!"

Peter stumbled forward and graciously accepted his award. He too, like Sirius, waved to the audience but did nearly get the same reaction that Sirius had gotten. Probably because Sirius had done it first and had much more charisma than Peter did.

"James Potter!"

James slowly stood up and dashed up towards Professor Dumbledore and accepted his diploma. He threw his fist into the air and sprinted back to his seat, beaming proudly. He saw Anna, his mum, and his dad all smiling up at him. But, this moment was not for them; this was a moment he only wanted to share with one person and James smiled as he looked right over at Lily; his fiancé.

After the Hogwarts graduation ceremony, James searched the Great Hall, where the ceremony had been held, all over for Lily. But, to his distress, she did not seem to be anywhere in sight. Even Professor Starkson or Anna had not seen her at all and James was beginning to get worried. He thought long and hard on where Lily could possibly be.

Finally, it hit him.

James looked up at the ceiling and noticed it was a clear night. Excusing himself from his friends and family, he calmly ran out of the Great Hall and ran straight to the Great Lake. Sure enough, there she was: sitting under one of the larger trees reading a book. James chuckled and walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"Hey," he said quietly. Lily looked at him and smiled back.

"Hey there," she said kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself you know," said James, obviously referring to the threat of Voldemort. "It's too dangerous for you." Lily smiled and shook her head good naturedly as she closed the book and set it aside.

"I'm fine, James" said Lily said simply, smiling up at him, showing how she was grateful for his feeble attempt at protection.

"I don't want to smother you, Lily, but just…just don't…you shouldn't go anywhere by yourself alright?" suggested James, a certain kind of sincerity taking over his voice. It was something that Lily had never heard before. She looked at him curiously.

"James?"

"I just…I just can't bear to lose you like that again…" whispered James, his voice suddenly shaking. "Please?" Lily nodded and held up her pinky.

"I pinky promise," she said smiling. James laughed and crossed her pinky with his. They kissed lightly before Lily rested her head on James's shoulder, grabbing her book again, opening it, and continuing to read. James raised a curious eyebrow.

"What are you reading?"

"It's a book my mother left me. It has all kinds of quotes and passages that she liked or that inspired her," explained Lily, as she handed him the book. James took it and began to read it out loud.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…" James finished reading and looked at Lily, to see her smiling up at him. James leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"You know what I figured out today?" said Lily when she and James had pulled away from kissing.

"What?"

"Maybe I was destined to have a bigger plan; much bigger than I could have ever expected of myself…" Lily started off quietly, looking at towards the Great Lake.

"What do you mean?" James asked curiously, yet sincerely.

"I'm starting to believe that maybe you were sent to me for a reason," said Lily slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. "Maybe you were sent to me to help me through all of this…or maybe you also have a big plan in this too! I don't know. All I know is…" Lily slowly turned her gaze from the Great Lake and into James's eyes.

"…you're my angel…" she whispered. James smiled slightly, her words creating the pleasant feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He hugged Lily close to him.

"I love you," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against hers. Lily smiled back.

"I love you too..."

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. I hope you're enjoying the story along with the new and improved, updated revisions. Please keep reading and enjoying the story! And please don't forget to review as they encouraging and inspiring to all writers. Thank you again to those who have reviewed!


	12. The Wedding

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 12 – The Wedding:**

In the small town of Stonebrook, just outside of London, there was an old, simple little white church with a garden of rose beds, daises, and violets. These blossoms made the old fashioned church look like some kind of Garden of Eden. There was a simple, stone fountain in the front with two little robins bathing in it.

Almost twenty-five years ago, at this very church, Robert Evans and Marigold Starkson were married.

Today, their youngest daughter, Lily Evans would be fulfilling her greatest dream; getting married in the church where her parents had gotten married.

Today, at this very church, James Potter and Lily Evans will be married.

* * *

James was fiddling with his fingers and readjusting his tuxedo jacket as he waited for the wedding to start. As he paced, he could hear Sirius's, his Best Man, chuckles from the other side of the room and James ignored his friend until he felt him place a comforting hand on their shoulder.

"You need to calm down, Prongs," he said. "You're going to make a hole in the floor with all of the pacing you're doing." But James ignored him and continued fussing. "Bloody hell, James, I don't even know what you're so worried about."

"What if I'm not good enough for her, Padfoot?" he asked urgently, almost sounding pleading. "What if I fail her somehow? What if-"

"What if you don't shut-up and give yourself a nervous breakdown before you even get married?" asked Sirius in mock horror. James narrowed his eyes at him.

"I swear, at _your_ wedding, Mr. Black, we're talking pay-back!"

"Hey, that rhymes!" said Sirius brightly. "Prongs is a poet and he doesn't even know it!"

"You're a moron, Padfoot," snapped James.

"Well, aren't we cranky," said Sirius, frowning at his best friend. "Isn't this supposed to be a happy day? I mean, you're getting married! Don't worry, be happy! Put a smile on your face and it'll make the world a better place-"

"SIRIUS!"

"Okay, okay, okay, a guy can take a hint!" said Sirius, putting his hands up in defense and backing off.

"Thank you!" said James, sighing in relief. He collapsed on to the couch that had been placed in his dressing room. He ran a hand through his messy hair before turning to look at Sirius again. "You have the rings, right?"

"What rings?"

"Bloody hell, Sirius!"

"OH NO!" Sirius said in mock horror again. "I FORGOT THEM!" James narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckled threateningly. "Alright, yeah, I have them. You can take the wand out of your arse." James smiled and nodded in relief. Sirius let out a huff of breath before sitting on the couch next to his best friend and clapped him on the back in a comforting, brotherly like manner.

"You know Prongs, this is really something," said Sirius sincerely. "I mean, you're making all of Lily's dreams come true; letting her get married in the church were her parents got married." Sirius was now looking around the tiny, simple, but yet beautiful church. James smiled to himself.

"You know I'd do anything for Lily, Padfoot," said James, smirking to himself as he also gazed around the church. "It's number one on her life to-do list. How could I say no?"

"Huh? Life to-do list?"

"Never mind," said James, waving the topic away with his hand. "It's something between Lily and myself."

At that moment, both men heard music going on in the distance. James took a deep breath as Sirius jumped to his feet and readjusted his bow tie and jacket.

"Well, duty calls," said Sirius. "Let's go." James followed his friend's actions and the two men walked into the church and right up to the altar as they awaited for Lily and her bridesmaids. Remus and Peter were sitting in the front aisle, next to Reginald and his wife, Nicolette, both giving James a playful thumbs up, which calmed him slightly and made him chuckle.

The first bridesmaid to walk down the aisle was Petunia, Lily's older sister. James did not know much about her, except that she lived with her Muggle grandparents after their parents had been murdered. James also knew that Petunia always hated Lily but Parker managed to convince Petunia to be in the wedding at Lily's request; it was what Lily truly wanted. After seeing Petunia, James could understand why she hated her younger sister so much. He could not believe how beautiful Lily was compared to her sister. Petunia had blonde hair and blue eyes, but looked more like a horse than a woman. James chuckled to himself at the thought.

After Petunia took her place at the altar, Anna came walking down the aisle next. James beamed at his sister as she walked with a big, bright smile on her face. When she caught her brother's eye, she mouthed, 'Lily looks beautiful,' and winked before she took her spot at the altar next to Petunia.

Finally, it was Lily's turn to walk down the aisle.

James tensed up and held his breath. He saw Parker and Lily enter and walk slowly down the aisle. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and he held his breath even longer and harder. Lily did not look just 'beautiful' as Annie had suggested; she looked simply breath-taking! She was wearing a beautiful white, silky wedding dress, beaded at the neckline, which was the lowest Lily had ever worn it. The sleeves were long and loose and were made of pure lace. Her long red hair was curled at the ends and came down in red locks around her shoulders; just the way James had always liked it. Her veil was flowing behind her, as though caught in the wind and she smiling brightly, looking right at James. Lily was an angel; it was as simple as that.

The priest stood at the altar and opened his Bible as Lily and James joined hands and looked into each other's eyes.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…" When he finished the passage, the priest smiled at the blissful, happy couple.

"Do you, James Reginald Potter, take this woman to be your law filled wedded wife, to honor her, cherish her, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!"

"And do you, Lily Marigold Evans, take this man to your law filled wedded husband, to honor him, cherish him, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!" Tears of happiness had begun to fill Lily's emerald green eyes.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!" James looked at Sirius for the rings. Sirius and Anna each handed Lily and James a ring and the two slipped it on to each other's finger and smiled, tears still in Lily's eyes.

"You may kiss the bride!" James smiled and unveiled Lily before pressing his lips against her own. There was music and a loud applause and James could even hear Sirius making inappropriate cat-calls. The two parted and smiled at each other, ignoring the chaos that was surrounding them. James lifted Lily off her feet and carried her princess style out of the tiny church.

"James, you've made all my dreams come true!" Lily cried out as she buried her face into his shoulder. James beamed down at his bride.

"I love you so much, Lily!"

"I love you more," she said grinning, hugging James around the neck. James nuzzled his nose against hers and smiled.

"That's not possible," he said before kissing his wife.

* * *

James was sleeping peacefully in his warm, comfortable bed. The sunlight was shining brightly in his eyes and he smiled, knowing it was time to enjoy another Lily-filled day. He rolled over to hug Lily close to him but she was not there in bed. James's eyes immediately snapped open and he sat up quickly, looking around frantically.

"Lily?" he whispered out into their bedroom. Suddenly, he heard a blood curling scream from downstairs. James jumped out of bed, not even bothering to put on a pair of pants or his glasses and ran downstairs with his wand at the ready.

"LILY?" James shouted urgently. But, to his immense surprise, there were no Death Eaters and no Voldemort. There was only Lily standing in the kitchen with her hand on her heart, looking completely horrified as Sirius sat on the kitchen floor, clutching on to his stomach because he was laughing so hard. James raised his eyebrow and walked straight over to his wife, asking, "Lily, what's going on?"

"Your friend is a complete and utter bugger!"

"Tell me something I don't know," said James, now glaring at his laughing best friend. "What'd he do now?"

"He came from behind me and scared the bloody jeepers out of me!" Lily cried, now placing her hands firmly on her hips as she continued to shoot daggers at Sirius. James got a good look at her and noticed she looked a little shaken up and pale, despite her anger. James looked at Sirius and narrowed his eyes.

"Padfoot, apologize to my wife or suffer the consequences," said James as he twirled his wand threateningly between his fingers. Sirius knew that when it came to Lily, James did not play games so the man quickly regained his composure and got to his feet, looking at the angry redhead square in the eye.

"Alright, I'm sorry, Lily Flower" said Sirius, sounding both honest and sincere. "I didn't mean to scare you so much, but you know that it was just a joke. I do think you need to learn to take a joke, but maybe, under the circumstances, that was probably not the best prank to play on you. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I suppose I can find some way deep down in my heart to forgive you, Sirius," she said smiling, playfully hitting him on the arm. Sirius beamed and planted an affectionate kiss on Lily's cheek as she giggled and James rolled his eyes at the pair. Having Sirius around was like having a small child around.

"Are you staying for breakfast, Sirius?" asked Lily as she used her wand to scramble the eggs. "I have plenty."

"Yeah sure! Why not?"

* * *

James and Lily had been married for exactly one year, two months, and three days. They had been in hiding from Voldemort for one year, two months, and two days. They had, so far, successfully avoided both the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Potter family was not so lucky.

James had been summoned privately to Albus Dumbledore's office one Friday afternoon with heartbreaking news. The younger man sat in front of the older man's desk, completely horrified with the news that his former Headmaster had just given him.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, James," said Dumbledore with a sigh, as he looked the young man square in the eye, "but your parents and sister were found murdered in their homes last night by use of the Killing Curse. The Ministry believes that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were behind it. James…I…I'm so sorry…"

"I-I..." James looked at the ground in shame, as he rested his elbows on his knees and gripped tightly at his hair. "I can't believe this! He…he killed my entire family! I…I…" James had to stop talking because a great big lump had formed in his throat.

"I know, James," said Dumbledore, reaching out across the desk to pat his hand in comfort. "But I did warn you that this might happen if you married Lily."

A fire was suddenly set off in his chest and he found himself jumping out of his chair, nearly throwing it behind him as he stood up, glaring at his former Headmaster. "How dare you suggest that?" he snapped angrily and bitterly. "How dare you? I love Lily! I don't regret marrying her for a minute! As horrible as my family's deaths are, my life would not be complete if I did not have Lily in it!"

"Then I suggest you find some way to protect Lily," said Dumbledore somberly. James nodded.

"Of course…of course I will!" James cried out. "I…I just don't know how! Voldemort is not an easy monster to hide from…"

"I suggest the Fidelius Charm, James" said Dumbledore. "Are you familiar with it?" James nodded slowly. He was familiar with the charm, but it was a great risk to take and sacrifices would have to be made.

"I'll have to discuss it with Lily first, Professor," said James sternly, "though I do like the idea of using a Secret Keeper. If we do use the Fidelius Charm I want Sirius to be my Secret-Keeper."

"James, I told you," said Dumbledore, who now sounded impatient, "I think someone close to you is keeping Voldemort informed of your movements, I wouldn't-"

"Are you implying Sirius might betray me?" James snarled. "First you lecture me in my decision for marrying in Lily and now you're giving me grief about using Sirius as my Secret Keeper? Do you trust me at all, Professor Dumbledore?"

"It's not that I don't trust you James," said Dumbledore, looking at the young man over his half-moon spectacles. "I just don't think that it's safe. Don't you want the best for Lily?"

"Yes, and that's why I'm choosing Sirius as my Secret-Keeper," said James firmly. "He would be the best and it's as simple as that!"

"It's your decision, James," said Dumbledore. "But, if you wish to use me as a Secret-Keeper, you're more than welcome to."

"Thank you, Professor! Lily and I both appreciate it, along with everything else you have done for us…"

"I just wish I could have done more for your family," said Dumbledore, sounding grave and disappointed with himself. James nodded in understanding, but did not say anything. He simply sighed, wanting nothing more than to return home where he could escape all of this with Lily.

Dumbledore must have sense this because he smiled and said: "Well, I think you had better be getting home. Lily is probably waiting for you…and she's probably worried sick…" he said, a twinkle returning to his bright blue eyes. James nodded, left the office, and went to Hogsmeade to Disapparate back to his home.

* * *

It was several months after the tragic deaths of the Potter family. Unfortunately, James and Lily had to attend their funerals under the influence of Polyjuice Potion. It was a precaution that had to be taken in case Voldemort and the Death Eaters showed up, determined to get their hands on Lily and James.

Ever since the death of the Potters, Professor Dumbledore, James, and Sirius had been meeting in secret in order to set the Fidelius Charm in motion. However, it turned out to be much more complicated than they had anticipated and resulted in late night for James. But, Lily had to be in hiding at all times because Voldemort was more after her than he was James.

After one of these late, secret meetings, James came home late wanting nothing more than to go to bed and hold Lily all night long.

"Lily? Lily, I'm home!" James shouted as he Apparated into his kitchen. When James did not hear anything, or her response, he just wondered into the family room where there was a roaring fire. Surprisingly, Lily was sitting on the couch, staring into it with a strange smile on her face.

"Lily? Are you alright?"

"James, I had a doctor's appointment today," she whispered breathlessly, finally looking up at him. James immediately went into panic mode.

"You left the house? Lily! You know you're not supposed to do that!" said James, sounding irritated. Lily continued to just stare at him when he finally let the words sing in. "Wait, you went to St. Mungo's? Why'd you go to St. Mungo's? What's the matter? Are you sick? What's wrong?" Lily had to laugh over his overprotective behavior. She patted the seat next to her and he sat down next to her on the couch.

"First of all, I used Polyjuice Potion," said Lily softly. "I was completely safe. Second of all, nothing is wrong and no, I'm not sick."

"Then why'd you go to St. Mungo's?" asked James, now sounding concerned, and not as urgent and panicky.

"I…I needed to confirm something…" said Lily, her voice trailing off.

"You're being awfully cryptic about this, Lily," said James, now sounding impatient. "What's wrong?"

"James…I…I'm pregnant," she whispered. James stared at her for a minute with wide eyes. Lily stared back at him and when he did not say anything, she gently stroked his cheek with her hand. "James?

"We're…we're…Lily, we're going to have a baby?" James asked in an astonished, quiet whisper. Lily looked at him with tears of joy swimming in her eyes.

"Yes, we're going to have a baby," she whispered, patting her stomach. James finally stopped staring at her and gave a disbelieving, but joyous laugh. "Are you happy…?"

"Lily…I…I…Lily, we're going to have a baby!" James was now shouting. He once again laughed and he lifted Lily off her feet and spun her around lovingly.

"Oh Merlin Lily, I love you more than anything!"

"Oh, I just hope the baby looks like you if it's a boy!"

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Another updated and revised chapter! I hope you're all enjoying the story and please don't forget to review! A huge and loving thank you to those who have and continue to review!

On a side note, I have received several reviews saying that it would be impossible for Lily to have a baby because she has leukemia. Lily DOES NOT, I repeated, DOES NOT HAVE LEUKEMIA. I changed that part of the story in order to align better with the series. So, instead I made her the Heir of Gryffindor. She is not dying in anyway shape or form...though Voldemort wants her dead. I hope that clears thing up for some of you…


	13. A Walk To Remember

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 13 – A Walk to Remember:**

The date was July 31st, 1980.

It was the day that Lily Potter would give birth to her first born child.

"James, would you please stop pacing!" Peter snapped as James continued to pace the living room floor. They were not in a hospital, much to his concern and dismay. But, due to Lily's unfortunate circumstances about not being able to leave her home, Professor Dumbledore brought a trusted doctor and nurse who helped him organize the Order of the Phoenix to help her with the delivery.

James clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at his best friend, clearly annoyed with his comment. What did Peter expect? Of course he was nervous and was going to pace to lessen the anxiety!

"Peter, my wife is upstairs giving birth to my child so excuse me if my nerves are an inconvenience to you. You'll have to learn to bear with my so-called pacing!" James snapped furiously at his friend. Sirius and Remus both silently gave their friend a dirty look, telling him to shut his mouth and to let James be. Peter, in turned, ignored his friends' warnings and continued hassling the soon father-to-be.

"Don't you dare snap at me, James!" retorted Peter, glaring. "You just think that because you're going to be a father, you can talk to us like that?"

"Wormtail, just leave him alone!" Sirius nearly shouted, now standing to his feet, as though daring Peter to challenge him. "It's Lily and his son or daughter! Of course he's going to be a little anxious and short-tempered! You know if it was us, we would be just as psycho!"

"But-"

"Peter, you head James and Sirius," snapped Remus, now rubbing his temples. "Shut the bloody hell up!"

"Bugger-"

"Mr. Potter?" a voice called out, interrupting the Marauders' argument. James immediately whipped around and saw the doctor walk down the stairs and into the living room, wiping his hands on a bloody rag.

"Doctor," said James in a breathless voice. "How's Lily? Is she okay? How's the baby? Is it a girl or a boy?" The doctor laughed affectionately over James's concern. He smiled and nodded politely.

"Your wife is fine, Mr. Potter," said the doctor with a sincere smile. "And as for the baby…"

"What?" James asked urgently.

"Mr. Potter, you are noq the father of a healthy baby boy," said the doctor with a big bright smile. "You may go in and see them. But may I recommend that you only bring one other visitor? Just so not to overwhelm the two of them…"

James nodded and turned to Sirius.

"Come with me, Padfoot?

"Me?"

"Yes, of course you; don't you want to see your godson?"

"My…my…WHAT?"

"Yeah, Lily and I decided to make you godfather to our child," said James, smirking. "Didn't we tell you?"

"NO! No, you didn't tell me!"

"Well the job is yours…if you want it…"

"Of course I want it!"

"Well come on then!" James dashed up the stairs and into his bedroom; followed closely by Sirius. When the two men burst through the door, Lily looked up startled, but then smiled when she saw James and Sirius. She had a small bundle of blankets in her arms.

Despite the fact that her flowing red hair looked like a bird's nest and she was extremely pale with very dark rings around her eyes, James decided that she had never looked more beautiful than she did right there holding their newborn son.

"James, come and meet your son," said Lily, smiling tiredly, holding the bundle towards him. James took a deep breath and walked over to the side of his wife's bed and looked within the pale blue bundle. He saw the tiny baby sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. There was a small untidy patch of jet-black hair on the top of the baby's head and James already knew that he boy had inherited is messy black locks. But, all in all, all James could do was stare at the boy.

"Would you like to hold him, James?" asked Lily sweetly, holding out the bundle out towards him.

"Yes," said James in a deathly whisper as Lily handed the baby to him. James carefully took his son in his arms and gently touched his nose and ran a finger over the baby's lips. He stared in awe; he could not believe this was his son, _is_ child, his flesh and blood. Lying in his arms was something that he and Lily had created together with their love. James gingerly hugged the tiny boy close to him.

"So, what do you want to name him?" Lily asked breaking the calm silence.

"We should call him Sirius Jr." Sirius said grinning brightly and teasingly. Lily rolled her eyes playfully and looked over at James.

"James, honey?" she asked again. "What do you think we should name him?"

There was a long pause as James continued to stare down at his newborn son; now the youngest Heir of Gryffindor. He knew that his son was going to suffer the same kind of fate as his wife, and for that, James knew that it would force his son to grow up much faster than most children would. He would deal with horrors and terrors that no other child or person would ever have to face. And if his son had managed to inherit both Lily and his genes; he knew that the boy would become a great leader; a leader who would rule the Order and many good witches and wizards in the fight against Voldemort. James knew this; he knew that his son would be a leader against evil. So there was only one name for him:

"Harry…" said James, his voice trailing off. Lily and Sirius stared at him.

"Harry?" Lily repeated. James nodded.

"Where'd you get that name?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Harry means army ruler," said James, never taking his eyes off of the baby. "My son is the Heir of Gryffindor…and a wizard who will fight in the war against evil…" As he said those words, he finally met Lily's eyes and she was staring at him with a soft, yet hard look. They did not need words to understand what the other was saying; they did not need words. Tears welled in Lily's as the realization of what James was saying dawned over her.

Sirius, maybe for the first time in his life, stayed quiet and watched the exchange between husband and wife curiously.

"Harry Potter," she whispered to herself, as she closed her eyes. After a moment reflecting on the name, she turned to her husband and smiled brightly. "Harry James Potter. I love it. It's perfect…"

James smiled and looked down at his son, Harry, and smiled, gently kissing his nose and the boy snuggled into the blankets.

"Hello Harry," said Sirius as he looked over James's shoulder, down at his godson. "I'm Sirius, your godfather."

James was ignoring Sirius and continued to rock Harry gently. It was his child, his baby boy, his son; it was Harry James Potter.

* * *

"James?" Sirius called out through the empty kitchen as he popped in his head in through the front door of the cottage in Godric's Hollow.

"Hey Sirius," came Lily's voice from the kitchen. Sirius walked in and saw Lily carrying Harry on her hip as he sucked on a bottle, wearing a toothless grin. Harry was now a happy, bouncing one year old baby boy. He was also still the youngest Heir to Gryffindor. But as a baby, he thought nothing of the hardships that awaited him as he playfully pulled on his mother's hair as she held him in her arms while cooking dinner.

"Hey Lily," said Sirius as he walked over to the pair and ruffled Harry's already messy hair. "Is James home by any chance?"

"No, he's in a meeting with Dumbledore," said Lily as she stirred the pot with a large, wooden spoon. "Would you take Harry please?"

"Sure!" said Sirius brightly, always eager to play and hold his godson. He reached out and relieved Lily from the baby. "Hi there, Harry!" Sirius took the small boy in arms and spun him around fast and recklessly. But, Harry did not cry or scream; he simply giggled with delight. And Lily did not lecture him; she did not mind the rough play so much; she simply smiled as she scrambled the eggs.

"Why don't you just use your wand?" asked Sirius curiously as he continued bouncing Harry in his arms. Lily shrugged.

"It just tastes so much better the Muggle way in my opinion," she said simply. Sirius shrugged.

"Food is food to me!"

"Food is all you ever think about!" teased Lily.

"That's not true! I think about sleep, women, and Quidditch as well," said Sirius. Lily laughed heartedly as she stirred the sausage. Sirius started playing with Harry again and threw the baby up in the air and caught him. The small boy giggled with pure delight as he landed back in his godfather's gasp. Lily gasped and slapped Sirius on the arm disapprovingly.

"Sirius, be careful!" she hissed, being the classic overprotective mother. At that moment, there was an amused laugh from the doorway in the kitchen.

"Calm down, Lily," said the voice. "If my boy is going to be a fantastic Quidditch player like his father, he's going to have to get used to flying high in the air." Lily turned around and narrowed her eyes at her husband, who ruffled Harry's promise-to-be messy hair in the same way Sirius had done earlier.

"He's got a long time before those try-outs, James!" said Lily in mock sternness, placing her hands on her hips. "Besides, his father wasn't all that fantastic of a Quidditch player anyway." James's mouth dropped as Sirius burst out into obnoxious laughter.

"Oh that was cold, Lily," said Sirius laughing. "I can't believe you shot down Prongs! Right in front of Harry too!"

"What did you say my flower?" James asked slowly, playfully advancing on his wife. She smiled and grinned mischievously.

"You heard me!"

James grinned and chased after her menacingly as she ran out of the kitchen, squealing playfully. Sirius laughed, sighed, and turned to the laughing baby boy in his arms.

"What are we going to do with those two, Harry?" Sirius asked in playful, mock defeat. Harry just giggled again and reached out to tug on Sirius's hair.

* * *

"Is Harry asleep?" asked Lily, as she sat on her bed reading a book. James ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Yes, finally! That boy of mine is so stubborn!"

"He gets that from his father," said Lily as she read her book. James chuckled and flopped down on the bed next to her.

"What are you reading?" he asked playfully nudging. Lily smiled.

"Actually, I'm reading the passage that was read on our wedding day," she said looking into his eyes. James stared at her for a moment before kissing her lightly. There was a long pause as the couple laid in the bed, staring and enjoying a moment of comfortable silence.

"James?" asked Lily, breaking the silence, though sounding reluctant.

"Yeah, Lily?"

"Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Marrying me," said Lily quietly, as though afraid of the answer. James looked at her startled, clearing not expecting that kind of question and just stared at her blankly.

"How could you say something like that Lily?" James asked quietly, caressing her cheek with his finger.

"If you didn't marry me, you wouldn't have Voldemort after you and you could live your life. You wouldn't have to go into hiding or worry about Voldemort showing up to kill you! You…you'd be able to have a life-"

James silenced her by kissing her tenderly on the lips.

"You're worth it," he whispered as he pulled away. Lily nodded, with tears in her eyes. But, James was not sure if they were tears of joy or sadness. Either way, he wanted to make sure that his wife understood something. "Lily, I'm going to tell you something…"

"Yes?"

"I…I can't explain it. There are no words to describe how strongly I feel for you. You…you saved my life. You changed me!" James looked into her eyes. But her eyes told him that she did not fully understand. So, she continued. "Lily, before you came into my life, I was a reckless teenager with no hope of snapping out of my way cut-throat and cruel ways. But, you…you're my guardian angel. You guided me and changed me for the better. You _made_ me who I am today. You made me want to be a better man. Without you, Lily, I'm incomplete. Walking this journey with you has been a walk to remember, and I'll never forget this life time walk with you Lily Potter."

"Oh…James!" Lily cried before she threw her arms around her husband's neck and cried tears of joy into his shoulder. "I love you!"

"I love you too!"

After many minutes of sitting in each other's arms, James took a deep breath, knowing that this conversation would ruin the moment, but it had to be done. This conversation had to be had.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Sirius and I have been discussing it and he…wants…he thinks it would be best if we switched Secret-Keepers," said James quickly, not wanting her to panic over the idea. To his surprise, Lily just looked at him startled.

"Sirius thinks we should switch Secret-Keepers? But, why?" she asked, sounding both curious and breathless. She whispered it as though Voldemort himself would be able to hear their possible change in plans.

"He says he'll be the obvious choice," explained James. "Voldemort is bound to go after him first; he knows how close we are to one another. He says if we use Peter, no one would suspect him…"

"What do you think, James?"

"Honestly, I think it makes sense…" said James, his voice trailing off. "Sirius has a good point and no offense to Peter, under our circumstances, who would appoint a Secret-Keeper like Sirius?"

"But, what about the spy Dumbledore warned us about?"

"With all due respect, Lily," said James, sounding both impatient and frustrated, "I'm tired of Dumbledore thinking he runs everything and meddling with our affairs." Lily bit her lip uncertainly.

"He seemed pretty sure about it, James," she said, as though choosing her words as though not to upset her husband. "He said that the spy was warning Voldemort about all our choices and movements…"

"Hence why the switch would benefit us," explained James. "No one would know about the switch except for us, Sirius, and Peter." Lily stilled looked unsure of the situation as she continued to stare blankly out the shaded window. James sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up at all angles. "If Dumbledore is right about there being a spy within our inner circle, Lily, it honestly could be anybody. And this switch would be ideal because the spy will never know if we switch Secret-Keepers. We're not going to tell anyone; not even Dumbledore."

Lily bit her lip hard and looked into her husband's eyes.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" she asked, clearly looking for reassurance from her husband. James sighed and nodded…reluctantly. Lily sighed and it her lip again.

"Alright then…let's make the switch…"

* * *

"Okay Harry, catch the Quaffle," said James as he tossed his son the big red ball. But Harry did not catch it. He just watched the ball fall to the ground blankly before grabbing the little toy snitch and chewing on it. James let out a groan of frustration.

"I guess my boy is more interested in being a Seeker than a Chaser…" James said to himself, his voice trailing off, almost in disappointment. He chuckled to himself and shook his head before picking up Harry and spinning the tiny boy around playfully.

"Either way he's going to be a great Quidditch player," said James as he continued to spin Harry around. "Aren't you Harry?"

Harry just stuffed his fingers in his mouth and giggled in pure delight. Lily sat in the doorway and grinned with amusement.

"Don't yell at me when he pukes on you from being spun around too much," said Lily smiling. James chuckled and stopped spinning Harry, who was scratching his head from being dizzy. Lily and James laughed in amusement before Lily took her son in her arms and cradled him.

As she took Harry in her arms, James could not help but notice the worry and concern in her bright emerald green eyes as she looked at her baby boy, her son. She sighed and cuddled Harry close to her and kissed his forehead.

"Are you okay, Lily?" James asked as he saw how shaken up and pale his wife was. She nodded as she cradled Harry.

"I'm fine. I'm just nervous is all," she said kissing Harry's little nose as he pulled on her long, beautiful red hair.

"Are you shaken up about the big switch?" James asked knowingly. Lily nodded and held her son close to her.

"I just have a feeling we should have told someone; anyone. We should have told Dumbledore. I know you don't care much for him, James but we still should have told someone. We could have told Annie…or Uncle Parks! We know that neither of them is the spy," she said quietly. James smiled and kissed his wife gently, but deeply.

"You worry too much," he said smiling. "We're perfectly safe."

"If you're so sure…" she whispered. James nodded and kissed her forehead before Harry giggled. The couple looked down at him and smiled brightly.

But their happiness was short lived.

The happy couple smiled until they heard they front door of their cottage open and a cold high-pitched laughter echoed throughout the house. Lily gasped and clutched Harry close to her chest, nearly crushing. Sensing danger and tension, Harry immediately began wailing helplessly. Staring determinedly at the front door, watching Lord Voldemort's shadow walk towards them, James took out his wand and faced the door, shouting.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off...!"

* * *

Over fourteen years later, fifteen year old Harry James Potter shut his father's journal with a snap; his eyes wide and his face deadly pale.

* * *

A note from the Jitterbelle. Here is another revised and improved chapter! The next chapter will be the final chapter of the story. I know I rushed through some of this but us readers of the original series know the details about their lives and deaths so I really did not feel the need to g into it. I don't find it very interesting and very repetitive when I read fanfiction and it would be even worse writing it. It would also seem hypocritical of me to put it in my story and expect people to enjoy it. A special thank you all my reviewers! Please don't forget to keep reading, reviewing, and enjoying!


	14. Two Miracles

**A WALK TO REMEMBER  
**

_**Summary**_ – The summer before his fifth year, Harry Potter stumbles across his father's old journal from his seventh year at Hogwarts and he reads about the continuous adventures of him, the Marauders, and his mother, Lily Evans; how they met, how they fell in love, and what brought them to their horrendous deaths. This story is based on the movie and book called _A Walk to Remember_ by Nicholas Sparks.

_**Disclaimer**_ – Unfortunately, I own absolutely nothing. All of the characters and their names belong to author JK Rowling and the plot and character traits belong to Warner Brother's and author Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Two Miracles:**

Harry shut the book with a snap.

The whole room seemed to be spinning and Harry found himself breathing heavily. He had not even noticed that while reading he had become severely sweaty and his hands and legs were shaking and trembling violently. The shock…the feelings that he was feeling were overwhelming. In truth, Harry carefully placed the journal at his side and allowed himself to process everything that he had read.

His father's journal had explained everything; absolutely everything. It explained why his parents had gone into hiding while he was a baby. It explained why Voldemort wanted him dead in the first place; it was because he, along with his mother, was the Heir of Godric Gryffindor.

Harry could not believe how much his parents had through just to be together. From what Harry had gathered from the journal, his father would have done anything for him and his mother. And what was even better, his parents had grown to love him just as much as they had loved each other. It absolutely thrilled Harry to see how much his parents had loved each other. But at the same time, it made him feel miserable; almost like he had missed out on something. It felt like he had missed out on the love that his parents had shared with one another and the love that they obviously had for him.

After what seemed like several hours of just sitting in the attic, Harry looked out of the window to see that it had finally turned dark and the Dursley's would be returning home shortly. In order to avoid any confrontation with them, Harry slowly put everything back into the small box and placed the lid on top before stuffing it under his oversized t-shirt and running to his room. He carefully placed the box gently into his trunk before taking out some parchment and a quill.

Without really thinking about, Harry decided that he would write to Dumbledore.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I recently found my father's old journal hidden in the attic of the Dursley's and read it._

_I know everything. I know I am the Heir of Gryffindor and why Voldemort is after me. I understand why my parents were murdered. The one thing that infuriates me right now is that I should have had to find out through a journal; you, Sirius, or Remus should have told me. I assume that Sirius and Remus did not tell me under your orders. If that's the case then you should have been the one to tell. I feel you took a coward's way out in regards to this situation and I'm very frustrated with the whole matter._

_However, there is a specific reason why I wrote to you. My father never wrote about or mentioned what happened to Parker Starkson, my mum's uncle and my great-uncle. What ever happened to him? If he's still alive or if he passed away, either way, I'd like to know._

_Please owl me back as soon as possible. _

_Harry Potter_

Harry sent the letter with Hedwig and patiently…or rather impatiently…waited for his response.

* * *

It took almost a week before Harry received any word from Dumbledore.

_Dear Harry,_

_I received your owl and I understand your frustration. I'm sorry you had to find out about your parents' deaths and heritage this way. It was my intention for your Aunt Petunia to read it and explain it to you before having you read it yourself. But, I suppose my naivety had me overlook my good sense. _

_I can't imagine how lost and confused you must be feeling. But, unfortunately there is nothing I can do to make this disappear. The only medicine that I may offer is that you do have the opportunity to meet with your great-uncle, Parker Starkson. _

_Yes, Parker Starkson is very much alive and healthy. He has agreed to meet you; in fact, he has been asking persistently to see you since your parents' deaths. But, I forbade it until now; I knew you were not ready. _

_Sirius and I will pick you up on Saturday evening at 4:00 PM so you can meet him. We shall see you then._

_ Sincerely yours,_

_Professor Dumbledore_

After reading it, Harry crumpled up the letter and held it tightly and nervously in his fist. He could not believe that he was going to meet his great-uncle, Parker Starkson; the same man who had practically raised his mother; the man who was like his mum's father. If anything, Harry felt like he was going to be meeting his grandfather rather than his great-uncle.

* * *

Today was Saturday.

Harry got up early and quickly changed into semi-appropriate clothing; it was only semi-appropriate because everything he owned was once Dudley's and was much too big for him. After changing, he made an attempt to try fixing hair but after several minutes, realized it was a lost cause.

Suddenly the doorbell rang…

* * *

Harry, Sirius (in Animagus form), and Dumbledore all Apparated in front of a tiny cottage made of rocks that settled deep within the cliffs of Ireland; cleverly hidden from view. It was clear that Parker Starkson was also taking hiding from Lord Voldemort since his return very seriously. Harry stared at in awe as he took a deep breath.

"I know the house seems a bit odd; being hidden in the cliffs," explained Dumbledore, reflecting Harry's thoughts. "But, Parker feels it is best to also stay off of the radar with Voldemort having returned to power. Well, go on, Harry. He's expecting you and I must say, he is most eager…" Harry did not say anything; he merely nodded as he stroked Sirius behind the ears. It was more to comfort himself than anything; just to remind himself that Sirius was with him.

"Sirius, will you go up with me?" Harry asked timidly. Even though he knew the dog was his godfather, he still felt funny talking to one. But, Sirius barked his consent and followed his godson up the path through the little garden filled with lilies in the front yard. Harry nervously rang the doorbell and took a deep breath, running his fingers through his messy hair. Sirius never left his side.

Behind the door, Harry could hear loud thumping noises, as though someone was walking on a cane. The door opened and standing before Harry was a tall, skinny man, looking like he was in late sixties, though in truth he was nearly in eighties; he looked good, strong, and healthy. The only thing that made him actually look his age was the gold cane he was leaning on.

It was Parker Starkson. And when his old, tired eyes landed on Harry, he gasped and almost fell over with his cane.

"Harry?" he gasped.

"Hello Uncle Parks," said Harry smiling, remembering the nickname his mother had used for him when she was young; from what he remembered from the journal.

"Merlin, you like you could be James's clone!" he choked out, putting his hand over his heart as he stared wide-eyed at Harry. "Except…those eyes….they are identical to Lily's. They're just as beautiful as hers…"

"Yeah I get that a lot," said Harry smiling. Parker chuckled.

"Please, come on in, Harry," he said politely, standing away from the door so that he could come in. "But could you please leave the dog outside? I am highly allergic…ridiculous Muggle genes…"

"Oh…yeah…sure…yeah, mo problem," said Harry, though he seemed uncertain and unsure. But he did not want to make a poor impression so he looked at Sirius pleadingly. Without a word, the dog turned around and walked back towards Dumbledore. Closing the door behind him, Harry followed his great-uncle into a small, but comfortable, homey looking living room. As Harry was looking around, taking in the home he had just entered, he felt himself being held in a tight embrace. He even choked slightly.

"Uncle Parks?" he choked out.

"Oh Merlin, Harry!" Parker cried as he buried his face in his messy, black hair. "You have no idea how long…how much I've wanted to meet you!"

"And I you..."

Harry and Parker just hugged each other tightly as Parker cried into Harry's hair. Harry felt rather awkward, but he did not have it in him to pull away. With the exception of Mrs. Weasley, Harry could never remember being embraced like this and there was a part of him that did not want to lose it; to have Parker let him go.

"I want to give you something," said Parker bluntly, coming out of the embrace. "Please, sit down." He gestured towards the lumpy sofa and Harry took a seat as Parker limped over to a small bookshelf on the other side of the living room. "Dumbledore told me that you've read your father's journal. Is that right, Harry?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Do you remember the passage about love that your mum was always enjoyed reading?" asked Parker, taking a small book off of the shelf. "It was the same passage that was read at your parents' wedding."

"Yes, I remember," said Harry, starting to feel uncomfortable. This all seemed so formal and he was not sure how to act and think.

"Well, here's the book that they read it from," said Parker as he limped over and handed Harry a small leather book. Harry took and held it gently, as though he would break it if he squeezed it too hard.

"Th-thank you," he gasped, genuinely touched over Parker's gift.

"There's no need to thank me, Harry," said Parker, smiling. "Your mother would have wanted you to have it…and I want you to have it. It should be yours." Harry just nodded and looked through the book, reading some passages and glancing at some pictures. Finally, towards the end of the book, he saw his mother's yearbook picture in it and underneath the photo, it said _**'Ambition: To witness a miracle**_.'

"Uncle Parks," said Harry, as he let his fingers gingerly touch his mother's face in the photo, "it says here that my mum's ambition was to witness a miracle."

"So it was…"

"That's such a great ambition," said Harry, his voice trailing off. "I'm sorry she achieved it…"

"Excuse me?" asked Parker, sounding almost shocked.

"I…I'm…I'm just sorry that she never got her miracle," whispered Harry, looking almost ashamed as he looked down at the carpet. As a result, he did not notice Parker looking at him with an incredulous look on his face. Parker gave a weak chuckle.

"Harry," he said gently, putting his hand over his great-nephew's hand. "You misunderstand: Lily did get her miracle. In fact, she got something better than a miracle…she got two miracles."

"She did?"

"Yes, you and your father; you were her miracle Harry…you and James…" Parker said, his own voice also trailing off in a tender and gentle tone.

Harry smiled at his feet with tears welling up in his eyes. Through this experience, he had come to realize that his parents were truly wonderful people. They were two people who had sincerely loved one another and who had loved him. They would have done anything for him; they sacrificed everything for him. Harry knew that this reading this journal had been a genuine experience; he got to learn and discover his parents' journey through life together and there was no greater gift he could have been given.

Harry also knew that reading his father's journal had also been a personal journey of his own. Life is full of journeys; walks. And learning about his parents and his heritage had been one of his many walks of life; a walk to remember.

And remember he would.

_***THE END***_

_There's a hero_

_If you look inside your heart_

_You don't have to be afraid_

_Of what you are_

_There's an answer_

_If you reach into your soul_

_And the sorrow that you know_

_Will melt away_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

_It's a long road_

_When you face the world alone_

_No one reaches out a hand_

_For you to hold_

_You can find love_

_If you search within yourself_

_And the emptiness you felt_

_Will disappear_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

_Lord knows_

_Dreams are hard to follow_

_But don't let anyone take them away_

_Hold on_

_There will be tomorrow_

_In time you'll find the way_

_And then a hero comes along_

_With the strength to carry on_

_And you cast your fears aside_

_And you know you can survive_

_So when you feel like hope is gone_

_Look inside you and be strong_

_And you'll finally see the truth_

_That a hero lies in you_

**("**_**Hero**_**" – Mariah Carey)**

* * *

This is the end of my **A Walk to Remember** story! I hope everyone enjoyed the story along with the revisions. A big thank you goes out to all those who have read and reviewed because you're the ones who keep the story alive! Thank you again!

***The Jitterbelle***


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